STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY

College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education

Prepared by: China Shayne M. Andaya

MODULE 6: The Nano World & Gene Therapy

This module intends to introduce the Nano World that contains atoms and molecules and the Gene
Therapy, the development in the nano world as applied to the animate or the living.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the module, you should be able to:
1. Define the major potential and realized impacts of nanotechnology on society;
2. Analyze nanotechnology through the conceptual STS lenses;
3. Examine the costs and benefits to society of nanotechnology;
4. Describe the gene therapy and its various forms;
5. Discuss the prevalence of gene therapy in daily life; and
6. Explore the opportunities that may be opened by gene therapy in the future.

Lesson I. THE NANO WORLD

Nanoscience - deals with materials that are very small using specialized microscopes and other
nanodevices.

Nanotechnology - is the science and engineering that studies systems and manipulates matter on atomic,
molecular, and supra-molecular scale or ultra-small scale. Some innovations developed in the field of
Nanotechnology include microprocessors and stain-resistant fabrics.

The term “Nano” refers to a unit meaning one billionth or ten raise to negative nine (10-9).Hence, a
Nanometer is a unit of measurement that is 10-9 (a billionth) of a meter. As part of the International System of
Units (SI), the standard symbol for nanometer is nm.

Here are a few comparisons to help understand how small a nanometer is:
 An average human hair is about 60,000 -100,000 nanometers wide
 Your fingernail grows a nanometer every second
 A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick
 In one inch there are 25,400,000 nanometers

Nanostructures
Materials at 1-100 nm are called nanostructures. These are materials that can be found in nature such as
catalysts, porous materials, certain minerals, and soot particles. Nanostructures are measured on a
nanoscale as shown on figure 3.8. For example, a single strand of DNA is about three nanometers wide.

Microscopes Used in Nanotechnology

Since the nano world cannot be seen by the naked eye, it was only recognized and identified after
technology has allowed for the discovery of nano structures. Without the microscope and its attendant
technology, people would not be even aware of how this tiny world surrounds and affects us.

1. Electron Microscope - uses beam of accelerated electrons as a light source.

2. Atomic Force Microscope - with resolution that can measure in fractions of a nanometer.
3. Scanning Tunneling Microscope - for imaging surfaces at the atomic level.
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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: China Shayne M. Andaya

Nanotechnology - Use and Benefits

1. Energy storage , production, conversion
2. Agricultural productivity enhancement
3. Water treatment and remediation
4. Disease diagnosis and screening
5. Drug delivery systems
6. Food processing and storage
7. Air pollution and remediation
8. Construction
9. Health monitoring
10. Vector and pest detector and control.

The application of nanotechnology, commonly incorporate industrial, medicinal, and energy uses.
Nanotechnology offers the potential for new and faster kind of computers, more efficient power sources
and life-saving medical treatments.

It is already leading to dramatic improvements in health care. Scientists are using nanoparticles to target
tumors, in drug delivery system, and to improve medical imaging. Some nanoparticle-based treatments are
multi-functional they can both find tumors and carry drugs for treatment.

Lesson II. THE GENE THERAPY

The studies of genes and heredity have led to numerous breakthroughs in science. From the
discovery of the structure of DNA, a new field emerged which led to rapid advances in the life of sciences,
including the establishment of gene recombinant technology, cloning, sequencing of the human genome,
and others. DNA diagnosis is helpful in figuring out the inheritance of genetic disorders, allowing for early
intervention.

Medicine is one example of a scientific and technological innovation that made a breakthrough in the
area of human health.

Some basic concepts that would be useful on this lesson:

1. W. French Anderson - the Father of Gene Therapy
2. Genes - the fundamental units responsible for heredity.
3. Genotype - the genetic makeup (ex. A and B genes)
4. Phenotype - the physical manifestation of the gene (e.g. blood type)
5. Penetrance - the measure of how often a disease genotype correlates to a disease phenotype.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that uses genes to treat, prevent, or cure a disease by correcting the
underlying genetic problem. This technique modifies a person's genes instead of using drugs or surgery.

How it works?
Often, gene therapy works by
adding new copies of a gene that is
broken, or by replacing a defective or
missing gene in a patient’s cells with a
healthy version of that gene. Both inherited
genetic diseases (e.g., hemophilia and
sickle cell disease) and acquired disorders
(e.g., leukemia) have been treated with
gene therapy.

Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute

https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Gene-Therapy

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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: China Shayne M. Andaya

2 Types of Gene Therapy

1. Somatic cell gene therapy involves obtaining blood cells from a person with genetic disease and
then introducing a normal gene into the defective cell (Coutts, 1998). This type of gene therapy
does not prevent the disease from occurring in the next generation because it does not affect the
sperm and egg cells instead it only affects other body cells. This gene therapy has to be done
several times over the course of the patient’s life because the effects do not last very long.

2. Germline therapy takes place in the reproductive cells. It involves the genetic modification of germ
cells that will pass the change on the next generation (Wilson, 1997). This type of gene therapy only
has to be done one time to be permanent. One type of gene therapy is to treat a pre-embryo that
carries a serious genetic defect before it is placed back in the mother by in vitro fertilization

Historical background of Gene Therapy

The concept of gene therapy arose initially during the 1960’s and early 1970’s. On September 14,
1990, W. French Anderson, and his colleagues performed the first approved gene therapy procedure on a
four year old girl born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

Gene Therapy- Use and Benefits

Gene therapy holds promise for treating a wide range of diseases, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis,
heart diseases, diabetes, hemophilia and AIDS. Gene therapy replaces a faulty gene or adds a new gene
in an attempt to cure disease or improve one’s body’s ability to fight disease.

Additional information
Read the article: What we should know about stem cell treatment
Link: https://business.inquirer.net/105075/what-we-should-know-about-stem-cell-treatment-in-the-ph

Activity - After Reading Questions/Discussion Questions:

1. How nanotechnologies address problems in the environment?
2. How can nanotechnology be used in the prevention and treatment of illnesses?
3. What health condition do you think urgently needs to be treated by gene therapy? Justify your
answer.
4. Do you think the average human lifespan will change 20 years from now? Why or why not?

Learning Tasks:
1. Reflection Paper
2. Quiz #2
3. Group Research Paper: Stem Cell

References:
McNamara DJ. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. Quezon City: C&E Publishing. pp. 105-114
https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Gene-Therapy
https://nnci.net/what-nano
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