{"id":1262,"date":"2021-12-08T00:22:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T23:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/?post_type=unit&p=1262"},"modified":"2021-12-08T00:22:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T23:22:09","slug":"the-principals-of-the-nanotechnology-in-the-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"unit","link":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/unit\/the-principals-of-the-nanotechnology-in-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"The principals of the nanotechnology in the covid-19 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nanotechnological solution in the development of mRNA vaccines<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanoparticles can be used as vaccine carriers. They protect the vaccine, giving it time to trigger a stronger immune response. Thanks to a nano solution, Pfizer\/BioNtech and Moderna have developed the first vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new class of DNA and RNA based vaccines provides nano platforms with a genetic sequence of specific viral proteins for host cells. Traditional vaccines instead trigger the immune response upon injection of whole viruses into the body, be it attenuated live viruses, inactivated viruses, or artificial ones. mRNA based therapies offer a number of benefits compared to other methods. Delivery of mRNA is safer than delivery of a whole virus or DNA, as mRNA is not infectious and it cannot be integrated into the host genome; DNA needs to reach the decoded nucleus, while mRNA is processed directly in the cytosol (one of the liquids found inside\u00a0cells); mRNA has a short half-life that can be regulated by molecular design; and finally, it is immunogenic (provokes an immune response so the body can defend itself), which may be beneficial in vaccine design, but the immunogenicity can be modulated by molecular engineering techniques. However, for mRNA to be safely and effectively transported in vivo (in whole, living\u00a0organisms\u00a0or\u00a0cells) without degradation in the circulation and to reach the cytosol through the cell plasma membrane, it needs a carrier. For a lot of mRNA-based therapeutics, lipid nanoparticles are the carrier of choice.<\/p>\n

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Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

mRNA in a lipid nanoparticle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Molecules of mRNA are unstable in a human organism and if injected directly into the body, they would degrade rapidly. Therefore, lipids are used to protect the mRNA, combining with mRNA into lipid nanoparticles. Upon injection into the body, lipid nanoparticles merge with the cell membrane, releasing the mRNA into the cytoplasm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Example<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Vaccines are tasked to train the immune system to recognise the part of the virus responsible for triggering the disease. Traditional vaccines contain either attenuated virus or proteins thereof. Instead, a mRNA contains a ribonucleic acid that codes the virus protein. Following the vaccine application, muscle cells use the injected mRNA as a \u2018template\u2019 or \u2018matrix\u2019 to synthesise a part of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Respiratory protection products with nanofiber membrane<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 2020, we have seen extended use of nanofiber membranes as protection of the human respiratory system in medical masks and respirators. The nanofiber material significantly improves the filtration efficiency (capture rate) of nano masks and nano respirators, in particular with regard to the smallest particles. A significant proportion of conventional medical masks and respirators use electrostatically charged microfibre structures (meltblown, spunbound, etc.) as the main filtration medium. The electrostatic charge in the non-woven textiles aids significantly in capturing the particles. However, the charge in conventional medical masks gets discharged due to humidity in the user\u2019s breath and due to humidity commonly present in air. The 100% humidity in the area between the user\u2019s mouth and a common medical mask or respirator reduces the filtration efficiency of such a mask or respirator by tens of percent in just two hours. Nano masks and nano respirators do not rely on filtration based on electrostatically charged microfibres. Thanks to that, their filtration efficiency (capture rate) remains constant.<\/p>\n

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Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Nanofiber membrane<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanofiber membrane is a very fine non-woven textile of nanofibers. The average diameter of nanofibers is typically in the range between 200 to 500 nanometers. The average size of pores between the nanofibers in the filtration layer of a nano mask is commonly in hundreds of nanometers and it exceeds the fiber diameter several times. However, the nanofiber layer is composed of a great number of sub-layers, meaning that the largest pores are covered by another layer. Thanks to that, the resulting efficiency in capturing particles equal in size to the average size of pores in the nanofiber layer is significantly higher than that of the largest pores in a single layer. The porosity of the nanofiber membrane plays an important role. The pores between nanofibers account for 85 to 90% of the membrane volume. The combination of a high number of pores and their small size makes the nanofiber filter highly breathable, while ensuring excellent efficiency in capturing particles, including viruses and bacteria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Photocatalytic purification of air from microorganisms<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the process of photocatalysis, titanium dioxide converts the UV component of light into energy purifying air from organic contaminants including toxic gases, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. It decomposes them into molecules of water, carbon dioxide, and harmless minerals. Indoor, where there is a high probability of presence of infected people, photocatalytic air purification can reduce concentrations of viruses and bacteria significantly. This reduces the risk of infection for people in the room. Titanium dioxide works even more efficiently, if used in nanocrystalline form. Nanocrystals of titanium dioxide have a large reactive surface and therefore, they can purify a larger volume of air. The UV component of light excites the electrons in the nanocrystals of titanium dioxide, which then in turn decomposes the contaminants. There are binding agents in self-cleaning functional coating that can anchor nanocrystals of titanium dioxide reliably, while pushing them to the surface of the coating. This ensures that the coating performs the purifying function with the highest possible efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Photocatalysis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photocatalysis is the process of chemical decomposition of substances using a photocatalyst and rays of light.<\/p>\n

The use of photocatalysis is basically twofold:<\/p>\n

Self-cleaning \u2013 thanks to photocatalysis, the surface of the material is resistant to the development of organic contaminants, thus retaining its original appearance and colour in long term<\/p>\n

Purification of the surrounding medium \u2013 polluted air or water, allowing to suppress some adverse effects of human activity, e.g. air pollution by organic contaminants, including microorganisms.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If the interior does not allow for application of a photocatalytic coating with nanocrystals of titanium dioxide on the walls and the ceiling, it is possible to use solitary nano air purifiers using the same principle of photocatalysis as a smart coating. A propeller blows polluted air into a tunnel with filters containing nanocrystalline titanium dioxide and UV lamps, while purified air is released back into the room. Classic HEPA filters in air-condition vents only provide for full efficiency in capturing fine contaminants for just a few weeks after replacement, nano filters in air-condition vents guarantee such efficiency for many years thanks to photocatalytic purifiers. In addition to that, they do not require any maintenance as they are self-cleaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vibebp_attr":"","_vibebp_dimensions":"","_vibebp_responsive_height":"","_vibebp_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"module-tag":[],"class_list":["post-1262","unit","type-unit","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/unit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1289,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1262\/revisions\/1289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"module-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module-tag?post=1262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}