Health & Medicine: NanoGold

This stream of the Health and Medicine module investigates the use of gold nanoparticles to improve human health. The main focus is meningococcal meningitis, a disease which commonly affects young people and can have fatal consequences. The PowerPoint slides have been designed to ensure students understand the need for a rapid diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis, and then to learn about nanogold and how its properties can be exploited to generate a rapid diagnostic test. A small section on disease treatment using nanogold has also been included in this module.

Stream Guide

• Module Presentation Powerpoint (3mb)

Activity 1: Meningitis

The development of a new, rapid, sensitive nanogold-based diagnostic test for meningococcal disease is based around the urgency to treat affected patients. This activity reinforces understanding of the disease and relates this to the use of gold nanoparticles for early detection.

• Activity Guide Word (72kb)

• Activity Word (68kb)

Experiment 1: Observation of bacteria

This experiment is for those classes wishing to examine bacteria in detail and focus on the microbiological components of this module. Teachers and students may view slides of non-pathogenic live bacteria (eg from yoghurt products) from good quality yoghurt or fixed, pre-prepared specimens. Teachers may wish to demonstrate this experiment on a video microscope at the front of the classroom.

• Experiment Guide Word (120kb)

• Experiment Word (116kb)

Experiment 2: Making Gold Nanoparticles

Nanogold can appear in a range of colours in solution, from deep red to deep blue/black depending on (1) variations in size of gold nanoparticles and (2) a phenomenon known as surface plasmon resonance. The basis of a nanogold-based diagnostic test for meningococcal disease relies on variations in the colour of nanoparticulate gold. The following experiment and animation have been included to aid students’ appreciation of these important characteristics of nanogold.

• Experiment Guide Word (76kb)

• Experiment Word (72kb)

• Animation Guide Word (60kb)

Activity 2: Nick’s Test

This fun, interactive activity is the story of Nick, a teenage boy who is exposed to bacterial meningitis and undergoes a test to determine whether he is infected. Students work through the PowerPoint presentation, perform the diagnostic test and answer the questions at the end.

• Activity Powerpoint (576kb)

Activity 3: Gold Nanobullets & Experiment 3: Golden Cancer Treatment

The following activity and experiment offer the theory behind and a visual representation of how gold nanoparticles can be used in the treatment of cancer. Perform the activity followed by the experiment to optimise learning.

• Activity Guide Word (304kb)

• Activity Word (292kb)

• Experiment Guide Word (284kb)

• Experiment Word (288kb)

Biobarcode Animation

Nanogold particles can be combined with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique to generate a sensitive, multi-faceted diagnostic test which has been referred to as ‘Biobarcode’. This animation provides a simple, sequential representation of the key steps in this technique.

Nano Imaging Animation

This animation was developed by Nanotechnology Victoria, and provides a good visual summary of how nanotechnology can contribute to the development of better imaging tools to diagnose neurological disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Activity 4: Design your own Nanobot

Many research groups are manipulating components at the nanoscale to design micro- and nano-scaled motors and robots (‘nanobots’). The following animation comes from Monash University, and introduces students to this possibility. The subsequent activities then encourage students to examine issues around manufacturing at the nanoscale and using nanobots in biological systems. They can then visit a fun and innovative website to play some games which highlight the quantum problems experienced by very small objects.

• Nanobots Activity Guide Word (108kb)

• Nanobots Activity Word (104kb)

• Design your own Nanobot Activity Guide Word (64kb)

• Design your own Nanobot Activity Word (68kb)