e-learning DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATIONS OF NANOMEDICINE

This lesson presents the different types and properties of the nanotools that nanotechnology uses in medicine, pharmacy, medicine biological and medical physics for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

LESSON 2. APPLICATIONS OF NANOTOOLS IN DIAGNOSTICS
Unit 1: APPLICATIONS OF NANOPARTICLES IN ONCOLOGY
Unit 2: NANODIAGNOSIS- IN VIVO IMAGING IN NEUROLOGY
Unit 3: NANOOPHTHALMOLOGY
Unit 4: NANOCARDIOLOGY

The aim of this lesson is to show how nanotechnology is applied in the study of cancer imaging, neurophysiological disorders, ocular imaging, and cardiovascular disease imaging. This unit discusses the various applications of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and elaborates on the main nanoparticle platforms used in these fields as diagnostic agents or as biomarkers, on their applications and on the progress that has been made for precise diagnosis of the disease.

MODULE 2 NANOPARTICLES AS CONTRAST AGENTS IN MEDICAL IMAGING

LESSON 1. NANOPARTICLE-BASED CONTRAST AGENTS
Unit 1: NANOPARTICLES AS CONTRAST AGENTS IN MRI
Unit 2. NANOPARTICLES AS CONTRAST AGENTS IN CT
Unit 3. NANOPARTICLES AS CONTRAST AGENTS IN ULTRASOUND IMAGING

This lesson analyzes the basic characteristics and properties of nanoparticle as contrast agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) and Ultrasound imaging (US).

LESSON 2. APPLICATIONS OF NANOPARTICLES AS CONTRAST AGENTS IN MRI, CT AND US
Unit1. CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN MRI
Unit 2. CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN CT
Unit 3. CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN US IMAGING

This lesson gives an overview of current applications of nanoparticle contrast agents in oncology and cardiovascular imaging highlighting in this way the potential role of nanoparticles in clinical and preclinical imaging.

MODULE 3 NANOPARTICLES IN MULTI-MODALITY IMAGING 

LESSON 1. NANOPARTICLES IN DUAL-MODALITY IMAGING
Unit 1. CT COMBINED DUAL-MODALITY IMAGING
Unit 2. MR COMBINED DUAL-MODALITY IMAGING

This lesson demonstrates the potentials of the multifunctional radiolabeled nanosystems in multimodality imaging and especially in SPECT/CT, PET/CT, PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI.

LESSON 2. NANOPARTICLES IN OPTICAL COMBINED MULTI-MODALITY IMAGING 
Unit 1: OPTICAL COMBINED DUAL-MODALITIES IMAGING IN RADIOLOGY
Unit 2: OPTICAL COMBINED DUAL-MODALITIES IMAGING IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Unit 3: TRIPLE-MODAL IMAGING

This lesson focuses on the coupling of fluorescence imaging with CT, MR, PET and SPECT imaging. The unit demonstrates the potential of using multifunctional nanoparticles/nanosystems for multimode modalities in Radiology and Nuclear medicine.

MODULE 4 IN VITRO APPLICATIONS OF NANOMEDICINE

LESSON 1. IN VITRO APPLICATIONS OF NANOMEDICINE
Unit 1: NANO-BIOSENSORS
Unit 2: NANOBIOCHIPS
Unit 3: CELL BASED NANO-BIOSENSORS IN MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS
Unit 4: NANOBASED CONFOCAL SPECTROSCOPY AND MICROSCOPY
Unit 5: NANOPARTICLES

This lesson analyzes the applications of nanomedicine in vitro diagnosis for high throughput screening and towards personalised medicine. The improvement of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques towards ultra-high spatial resolution, molecular resolution and ultra-high sensitivity will also be discussed.

MODULE 5 NANOSURGERY

LESSON 1. NANO-IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY
Unit1. SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY
Unit 2. NANOPARTICLES AND SENTINEL LYMPH NODES MAPPING
Unit 3. NANOPARTICLES AND DETECTION OF MALIGNANT TUMOR MARGINS AND MICROMETASTASES

This lesson attempts to provide in a concise, thorough and understandable manner the currently acquired knowledge and existing experience on how nanoparticles could guide surgery related to important oncologic parameters, such as the sentinel lymph node, the tumor margins, the residual malignant disease and the micrometastasis.

LESSON 2. NANOPARTICLES-DIRECTED CANCEROUS TISSUES ABLATION
Unit 1. HYPERTHERMIA
Unit 2. MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES AND HYPERTHERMIA
Unit 3. GOLD NANOPARTICLES AND HYPERTHERMIA
Unit 4. CARBON NANOTUBES AND HYPERTHERMIA
Unit 5. QUANTUM DOTS AND PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY

The second lesson illustrates one of the most widely used cancer tissue-targeted treatments are  the thermal ablation therapies that use directed heating to ablate malignant tissues and provide a minimally invasive alternative to usual surgical treatments. The objective of this unit is to provide in a concise, thorough and understandable manner the currently acquired knowledge and existing experience on how nanoparticles could be exploited in the hyperthermic treatment of cancerous tissues, as well as, with or without photosensitizing agents, in the photodynamic treatment of cancer.

LESSON 3. NANOSURGERY TOOLS 
Unit 1. MINIMIZING SURGICAL DAMAGE
Unit 2. POST-SURGICAL AND OTHER WOUND HEALING
Unit 3. INTRACELLULAR NANOSURGERY

The third lesson attempts to outline the attempts of various research groups to develop nanotechnology applications in all these aspects of the field of surgery. The advent of nanotechnology opens new perspectives in various aspects of surgery, such as the minimization of the surgical trauma, the improvement of surgical instrumentation, the antisepsis measurements, the wound healing process, as well as the ultra-fine manipulation of cells with the intracellular nanosurgery.

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