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Treating Disease

Last update: January 23, 2010

Overview

Description

This interactive component is about cutting-edge medical treatments that are being developed with nanotechnology. Gold Nanoshells, demonstrates how tiny nanoparticles of gold are being used to destroy cancerous tumors. Visitors inject gold nanoshell marbles into the bloodstream and watch as the gold nanoshells are absorbed by cancerous cells. The visitor then activates an infrared laser and watches as the laser heats up and kills the tumor cells while leaving the healthy tissues unharmed.

Checklist

Scientist reviewedcheck_reviewed
Peer reviewedcheck_reviewed
Visitor evaluationcheck_reviewed

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Objectives

Big Idea

Nanotechnology is changing the way we treat disease. Cutting-edge treatments will use materials that are as small (or even smaller!) as the tiniest parts of cells in the body. Researchers think that nanomedicine will work only on targeted cells, and will have fewer side effects on the rest of the body.

Learning goals

  • When gold nanoshells are injected into the bloodstream, they travel through healthy blood vessels but easily slip through the leaks found in tumor blood vessels and collect in the tumors.
  • A laser shines light through skin and tissue (without damaging them!) and into each tumor, where the nanoshells absorb the energy and heat up.
  • The heat from the nanoshells destroys the tumor cells.
Audience:
Nano Topics:
65”w x 37 ½”d x 90”h

Gold Nanoshells

1 Evaluations

NISE Overall Exhibits

View the page for this evaluation report

Major Findings

The overall evaluation of the initial exhibits shows that four fifth of visitors were interested in and enjoyed the exhibits as a whole. Of the 119 visitors interviewed, few (16%) used the actual word “nano” to describe what the exhibit they looked at was about. This raises the question whether or not it is important for visitors to walk away knowing the word “nano.” Overall, 69% of visitors felt the exhibit they tried out was easy to figure out, and those that mentioned difficulties most frequently mentioned having trouble figuring out what to do at the exhibit.
Document, added on 04-28-2009
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NISE_Overall_Exhibits_Report.pdf
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About Exhibits

NISE Net includes some of the premier science exhibit developers in the United States—people with years of experience in creating engaging experiences around complex scientific concepts. The exhibits offered here were vetted through a process of prototyping, audience research, and in-depth partnerships with scientists.

For information about NISE Network exhibits, please contact exhibits@nisenet.org.

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