SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

AND SOCIETY
GE – STS
TF 2:30 - 4:00 PM
 OVERVIEW
Nanotechnology and Nano device processing are now happening
at a rapid rate. Its applications are wide-ranging and have
influenced many science and industry sectors, including energy,
electronics, environmental science, food protection, and
medicine.

Nanotechnology in medicine promises to revolutionize the

delivery of medications, diagnostic methods, and gene therapy.
 Nanoworld
and
Gene Therapy
LEARNING OUTCOME:
✓ Discuss the implication of nanotechnology in
society.
✓ Describe the concept of gene therapy and its various
forms.
✓ Assess the potential benefits and detriments of
nanoworld and stem cell to global health.
✓ Value the learnings in nanoworld and gene therapy
through reflective writing.
Grasp it!
❑ A nanometer (nm) is a billionth of a meter.
❑ 1 nanometer is about 100 times smaller than a
bacterial cell.
❑ Your fingernails grow at the rate of about 1 nanometer
per second.
❑ A 7-foot-tall basketball player is 2 billion nanometers
tall.
Herbert Boyer & Stanley Cohen
Grasp it!
❑ Nanotechnology is already applied commercially in
products ranging from mobile phones, computer
discs, tennis rackets and golf clubs to sunscreens
and cosmetics.

❑ Prerequisites for gene therapy include finding the

best delivery system (often a virus, typically
referred to as a viral vector) for the gene.
The Nanoworld
❑ Discovery of light microscopes revolutionized human
understanding of the natural world.

“Nano”
Refers to something so small that it can only be seen with
a powerful microscope.

❑ Through nanoscale, scientific researchers have developed

new technological tools that greatly improved different
aspects of our lives.
 The Nanoworld
❑ Nanotechnology
Area of science that conducts science and
technology at the nanoscale.
.

❑ Manufactures materials and devices on the

scale of atoms and molecules that
contribute to advancement of different
sectors of society, especially health,
environment, electricity, electronics, food,
and agriculture.
The Nanoworld
❑ A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick
❑ A strand of human DNA is 2.5 nanometers in diameter
❑ There are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch
❑ A human hair is approximately 80,000- 100,000 nanometers wide
How to view Nanomaterials?
❑ Electron microscope
It utilizes a particle beam of electrons to light up a specimen and
develop a well-magnified image. They can magnify objects up to a
million times.
How to view Nanomaterials?
❑ Atomic force microscope

▪ It makes use of a mechanical probe that

gathers information from the surface of
a material.

▪ It is used to determine topography and

other properties of surfaces.
How to view Nanomaterials?
❑ Scanning tunneling microscope
▪ It works by scanning a very sharp
metal wire tip over a surface.

▪ It enables scientists to view and

manipulate nanoscale particles, atoms,
and small molecules.
Nanomanufacturing

❑ Refers to scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective

manufacturing of nanoscale materials, structures,
devices, and systems.

❑ It contributes to new technologies and improved

materials being produced.
Nanomanufacturing
❑ Bottom-up fabrication
It manufactures products by building them up from
atomic and molecular scale components.

❑ Top-down fabrication
It trims down large pieces of materials into nanoscale.
This process needs larger amounts of materials and
discards excess raw materials.
Nanomanufacturing
Benefits and Concerns of Using Nanotechnology
1. Nanotechnology is not a single technology; it may become
prevalent.

2. It seeks to develop new materials with specific properties.

3. New efficiencies and paradigms may be introduced that may

render certain natural resources and current practices
uncompetitive or obsolete.

4. It may be complicated to detect its presence unless one has the

specialist tools of nanotechnology.
Benefits and Concerns of Using Nanotechnology
Example of Areas Affected Possible Benefits Concerns
by Nanotechnology
• Improved detection and • High reactivity and toxicity
Environment removal of contaminants • Pervasive distribution in the
• Development of benign environment
industrial processes and • No nano-specific EPA
materials regulation
• Improved medicine • Ability to cross cell membranes
Health and translocate in the body
• No FDA approval needed for
cosmetics or supplements
• Better products • Redistribution of wealth
Economy • New jobs • Potential cost of cleanups and
healthcare
• Accessibility to all income
levels.
Gene Therapy
❑ Potential method to treat or cure human disorders related to genes.
.

❑ It is an advanced method using genes for the treatment or

prevention of disease.
Gene Therapy
Several approaches to gene therapy (Fliesler, 2017):

❑ Replacement of mutated gene that causes disease

with a healthy copy of the gene.
❑ Inactivation of a mutated gene that is functioning
improperly.
❑ Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight
a disease.
Gene Therapy

❑ A gene is inserted into another gene using a carrier or vector.

❑ At present, the most common type of vectors are viruses that

have been genetically changed to carry normal human DNA.
(Science Daily, 2017)
Two Types of Gene Therapy
❑ Somatic gene therapy
Involves the manipulation of genes in any cells of the body
except sperm and egg cells that will be helpful to the patient, but
not inherited to the patient's descendant.

❑ Germ-line gene therapy

Involves the genetic modification of reproductive cells, the
sperm and egg cells that will pass the change on to the next
generation.
Two Types of Gene Therapy
STEM CELL
❑ Mother cells with the
capacity to become any cell
type in the body.

❑ Under the proper conditions

in the body or a laboratory,
stem cells differentiate to
self-renew or replicate.
STEM CELL
Study of stem cell can help to:
.

✓ Increase understanding of how diseases occur.

✓ Generate healthy cells to replace diseased cells
(regenerative medicine).
✓ Test new drugs for safety and effectiveness.
Sources of STEM CELL
❑ Embryonic Stem Cell
▪ Derived from a three to five-day-old human
embryo that is in blastocyst phase of development
and has about 150 cells.

❑ Somatic Stem Cell

▪ Cells that exist throughout the body after
embryonic development.
The Bioethics of Gene Therapy
Raise ethical questions related to:
❑ Tampering with human Nature
❑ Enhancing human traits
❑ Parental control over children
❑ Discrimination
❑ Social Justice
❑ Eugenics
The Bioethics of Gene Therapy
Some inquiry cited:
❑ How can “good” and “bad” uses of gene therapy be
distinguished?
❑ Who decides which traits are normal and which
constitute a disability or disorder?
❑ Will the high cost of gene therapy make it available
only to the wealthy?
❑ Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to
enhance human traits such as height, intelligence, or
athletic ability?
 Assignment: 20 points

Concept Mapping

Make a simple concept map

showing the potential and
realized impacts of
nanotechnology in society.
References

Serafica, J.P., Pawilen, G., Caslib, B. & Alata, E.J. (2018). Science, Technology and
Society. Rex Book Store, Inc. 856 Nicanor Reyes Sr. St., Manila

Doria, B., Nacario, C. & Solis, M. (2018). Science, Technology and Society. Jimczyville
Publications. #16 Concha St., Bgry. Tinajeros, Malabon City

Mayo Clinic. (2019, June 8). Stem cells: What are they and what they do.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-
20048117

Medline Plus. (2020, September 21). What is gene therapy? U.S. National Library of Medicine.
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/genetherapy/

National Technology Initiative. (n.d.). Size of the Nanoscale. Nano.gov.

https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano
References

O’Connor, T. (2014). Embryonic and somatic cells as a source of genetic medicine.

Scitable. https://www.nature.com/scitable/content/embryonic-and-somatic-stem-cells-as-a-
60673/

Paddock, C. (2012, May 40). Nanotechnology in Medicine: Huge Potential, But What
Are The Risks? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/244972

Resourse Library. (n.d.). Nano World. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/nano-world/

https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size
https://www.slideserve.com/nassor/nanotechnology-powerpoint-ppt-presentation
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9780470015902.a0003480.pub2#