Professor Victoria Vesna Section 1C – Fall 2013

DESMA 9: ART, SCIENCE, & TECHNOLOGY

“CELLsearch” By Bianca Lennarz

As learned from class, all areas of the sciences are integrated with the arts, and can be so as well vice versa. Specifically, I believe that the use of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and medicine should be combined, resulting in especially useful and beneficial potential

improvements affecting the overall health, life spans, and lifestyles of people.!My invention, CELLsearch, is a new and improved way to fight cancer, though only cancer of the soft tissues. Nanodevices tagged with fluorescent proteins will be inserted into the

body by injection or by laparoscopic procedure, into locations within soft tissue, where any cancer cells are or may be in the process of forming. These devices will eliminate cancer by temporarily “detaining” each individual cancer cell and then injecting it with an inactive form of genetically modified HIV DNA, resulting in cells which are unable to produce the deadly virus, and prohibiting them from replicating. Only antigens specifically on cancer

cells will be targeted. This procedure will be a much improved alternative versus treatment via chemotherapy and radiation, since my device will not target and kill normal cells within the body commonly resulting in patient illness, fragility, and hair loss. Once CELLsearch

has eliminated the cancer cells at the targeted location, it will be extracted through a routine laparoscopic procedure, in which its fluorescent tag will aid to identify where the device is located within the body at that moment, allowing for its safe removal. This tiny

device will be able to “cure” cancer patients, on a worldwide scale, using a minimally invasive procedure. They will once again be granted the opportunity to live comfortable

lifestyles.!

ABSTRACT

What Is Cancer?!Ø Cancer is the uncontrollable and rapid growth of abnormal cells in the body, that, if left untreated or if discovered too late, can cause serious illness and even death ("What Is Cancer?").!Ø Cancer can be genetically passed down, can be personally provoked by unhealthy habits such as smoking, or can be caused by mutations in the DNA sequences of the cells that are overlooked by proofreading mechanisms in the processes of DNA synthesis and replication.!Ø The spreading of cancer cells (the masses of cancer cells are called malignant tumors) onto normal tissue is called metastasis ("What Are Tumors?").!

CONCEPT/TOPIC

With my device, soft tissues, blood, and organs, can be cured of cancer.!!

Current Forms of Cancer Treatment!Ø Chemotherapy is the use of medication to treat cancer; it is given orally, through intravenous or intramuscular procedures, or subcutaneously. Chemotherapy destroys not only cancer cells, but also normal cells, which is why people feel sick, lose their hair, etc. ("How Is Chemotherapy Given?”).!Ø Radiation therapy uses high energy waves to destroy cancer cells.!Ø Surgery is used to extract cancerous tissues or even entire infected organs.!Ø These forms of treatment are invasive and can cause the patient to become, feel, and look very ill.!

Current Research!Ø Research is currently being conducted that kills cancer cells with the HIV/AIDS virus. T-cells (a type of lymphocyte [white blood cell] that plays a role in the immunity of fighting off diseases or harmful substances) of the cancer patients are altered with an insertion of an antibody-like protein from genetically modified HIV DNA that has lost function of the production of the deadly virus, but still has the ability to produce the protein to attack a CD-19 antigen located on malignant lymphocytes of cancer cells ("HIV Is Being Used as a Possible Cure for Cancer").!

CONTEXT & PRECEDENTS

Ø Stages of Cancer ("Stages of Cancer")!Ø Stage 0: 'in situʼ – few cells which become cancerous that are little to no threat; is highly curable!

Ø Stage 1: localized cancer – early stage cancer; small tumor or small mass of cancer that is localized where it started!

Ø Stages 2 and 3: regional spread – larger masses of tumors or cancer which spread into the general region of the body and grow deeper into the tissue; growing cancer that is a threat!

Ø Stage 4: distant spread – metastatic cancer; cancer that has spread to other organs of the body!

CONTEXT & PRECEDENTS

Biotechnology!Ø  Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to

develop products that will be beneficial for the health or daily lives of humans. The use of living tissues and/or animals in experiments for biotechnology research is necessary to future help humans climb a step further in curing or treating certain diseases. Biotechnology includes many applications in the field of medicine, that include synthetic limbs, regenerating cells and tissues, and medications.!

Ø  The concept of the altering the DNA of the HIV virus and programming it to solely destroy cancer cells is an example of the use of biotechnology.!

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY PRECEDENTS

Nanotechnology!Ø  Nanotechnology, defined as the manipulation of technology at the

molecular level, is the future of industry and society in the areas of science. Included are areas such as health, energy, high technology, manufacturing, and entertainment, as well as areas of art, among others.  The infinite number of ideas and applications of this technology, especially the use of those unbelievable items which are engineered to the size of a nanometer, are simply amazing.!

Ø  Implementing a device which is approximately the size of a human cell, in order to carry the biotechnology of the DNA of the HIV virus, is an example of the use of nanotechnology.!

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY PRECEDENTS

Fluorescent Tagging!Ø Eduardo Kac and Louis-Marie Houdebine collaborated together to create the artistic work of Alba, a genetically modified albino rabbit that glows due to an insertion of a gene found in an Aequorea Victoria jellyfish that fluoresces green under the exposure of blue light. It was designed to glow in order to observe the inner parts of the rabbit when introduced with other manipulations.  The artistic aspect of introducing the fluorescent gene does not seem to hurt the organism, and, because of this artistic addition, human research can be studied more carefully by recreating the experiment on other organisms.  Osamu Shimomura also isolated the green fluorescent protein from the jellyfish and inserted it into mice, which he used for beneficial research for humans.  The jellyfish florescent protein is used to tag certain genes of proteins in the host organism, in which a light source is needed to see if genetic manipulation is successful – for example, a cancer gene tagged with a fluorescent protein that is inserted into an organism to view the effects that could potentially help humans eliminate cancer. !Ø In the case for my device, though, the fluorescent tagging is intended to be used for the purpose of identifying where the device is located within the body, once it has completed its mission and needs to be removed from the tissue, due to its microscopic size.!

ARTS/HUMANITIES PRECEDENTS

Phone Application Synced to Nanodevice!Ø As technology and time progress, more and more people are using smart phones. Many hospitals have updated their systems so that everything is done electronically. Doctors with smart phones or tablets can easily look up anything, from information on symptoms, diagnoses, or medication usage, to viewing their patientsʼ medical history. Applications on devices are designed to be appealing to the eye, easy to use, organized, and, if applicable, filled with a tremendous amount of accurate information.!Ø My device will be synced to an application which can be downloaded and used via any technology, by both patient and doctor, in order to view the progress data of the cancerous mass elimination within the body, and to view a global positioning system which constantly tracks the current location of the device in the tissue of the patient.!

ARTS/HUMANITIES PRECEDENTS

Fluorescent Tagged Rabbit!

Appearance!My proposed device, known as CELLsearch, will have a “cup-like” grasp located at its probing front end which will constantly embrace and position individual cells, one by one, in order to inject them with the genetically altered HIV DNA. The deviceʼs slim and streamlined profile allows the mechanism to easily move throughout various tissues with the goal of accessing cancer cells. There is an enclosure within the interior of the device that contains multiple copies of the identically altered HIV DNA which will be injected into each cell. This general dimension of this nanodevice will be slightly larger than the size of a single cell, with a modifiable length of approximately several times that, as deemed necessary by the physician for the individual job. It will be fluorescently tagged so that its location can “easily” be identifiable within the body when it is time to surgically remove it.!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

How Does It Work?! A patient with cancer has the option of either having CELLsearch inserted via injection or laparoscopic procedure into the tissue location(s) of where cancer cells or masses are identified. Multiple CELLsearch devices will be inserted into each location in order to more quickly and efficiently eliminate any cancer cells in the area, and to ensure that there is enough modified HIV DNA to infect and destroy every targeted cell. My device will only target the cancer cells in a particular soft organ tissue, and will be programmed to recognize only those cells.!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

My device will be programmed to detect

cancer cells only!

How Does It Work?!This tiny “robot” will eliminate cancer cells by temporarily detaining each individually identified cancer cell, while at the same time injecting it with an inactive form of HIV DNA. Prior to the procedure, this form of HIV DNA is genetically modified so that it cannot produce the deadly virus, cannot replicate, and is programmed with an antibody protein code that will only target CD-19 antigens which are specific to cancer cells.!!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

My device will enclose over the cell, and inject it through the semi-sphere with

the genetically modified HIV DNA specific to only destroying the cancer

cells!

Is It Removed?!The fluorescently tagged protein which is individually attached to each of my CELLsearch devices is solely for the purpose of pinpointing exactly where the tiny mechanisms are currently located within the body, in order to safely and accurately remove them through a routine microscopic laparoscopic procedure, once the devices have completed their intended missions.!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Movement and Progress!Each CELLsearch device will work independently, within a “seek out and attack” team composed of identical robots, moving on its own inside the human body as it detects each abnormal cancer cell. Each will travel toward the infected cell to enclose it, and succeed in neutralizing it, without a doctor or other medical professional there to supervise or control it during the entire process.!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Movement and Progress!A new accompanying telephone application will be created so that both the patient and the physician may monitor the progress and location of the device in “real time”. Through the phone application, each device within the body will be automatically synced 24/7, complete with data progress on the elimination of cancer cells, such as the percentage of infected cells destroyed out of the total mass amount within the body, and the precise location(s) in the tissue via specific global positioning system. Once the devices have satisfactorily travelled throughout the infected cancerous areas, and successfully completed their intended “search and neutralize” missions, then this GPS locational information will be of extreme importance as the mechanisms will now need to be extracted.!

!

PROJECT PROPOSAL

This device will fight and treat one extreme illness (cancer) with another (HIV/AIDS). The entire procedure is minimally invasive compared to other methods of treatment, and will not trigger the

terrible side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, so, patients will keep their hair, they will not feel nauseated, and will feel better

overall. Cancer patients from areas all around the world will finally have the hope of being completely “cured” of their dreadful condition,

especially if the disease is detected during the early stages, since every cancer cell will have been eliminated from their bodies. This

fabulous technology may grant patients the opportunity to experience longer, more healthful lives, and will allow them and their families to avoid the emotional and physical grief associated with the horrible experience of suffering with cancer. Thanks to CELLsearch, the

dreadful disease of cancer will now be very curable, bearable, and possibly on its way to becoming a problem of the past.!

CONCLUSION

Images: • Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://iwandahnial.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/10-winslow_rm_illustration_of_colorectal_cancer_stages.jpg>. • Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/prod_consump/groups/cr_common/@nre/@new/@gen/documents/image/brand2013_blood-cells.jpg>. • Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/images/alba2.jpg>. • Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dexigner.com/news/image/22231/Mobile_Health_iPhone_Application>. Works Cited: • "How Is Chemotherapy Given?" American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/chemotherapy/chemotherapyprinciplesanin-depthdiscussionofthetechniquesanditsroleintreatment/chemotherapy-principles-how-is-chemo-given>. • "HIV Is Being Used as a Possible Cure for Cancer." AMERICAblog News. N.p., 21 June 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://americablog.com/2013/06/hiv-being-used-to-cure-cancer-leukemia.html>. • "Stages of Cancer." Cancer.Net. American Society of Clinical Oncology, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/treating-cancer/stages-cancer>. • "What Are Tumors?" Johns Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/BasicTypes1.php>. • "What Is Cancer?" American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/what-is-cancer>.

REFERENCES

(All product images created using “Pro Engineer” design software)

•  "A Cure for Cancer?" TED. N.p., July 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/playlists/63/a_cure_for_cancer.html>.

•  "A to Z List of Cancers." National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/alphalist>.

•  "Biotechnology." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology>.

•  "CD19 Antigen in Leukemia and Lymphoma Diagnosis and Immunotherapy." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8528044>.

•  "Fluorescent Tag." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_tag>.

•  "How Does Syncing Work?" Dropbox. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <https://www.dropbox.com/help/82/en>.

•  "How HIV Infects a Cell." International Partnership for Microbicides. International Partnership for Microbicides, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.ipmglobal.org/how-hiv-infects-cell>.

•  "How Is Chemotherapy Given?" American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/chemotherapy/chemotherapyprinciplesanin-depthdiscussionofthetechniquesanditsroleintreatment/chemotherapy-principles-how-is-chemo-given>.

•  "How to Make an IPhone App From Scratch (For Non-Technical People)." Udemy Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <https://www.udemy.com/blog/how-to-build-an-iphone-app-from-scratch-for-non-technical-people/>.

•  "HIV Is Being Used as a Possible Cure for Cancer." AMERICAblog News. N.p., 21 June 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://americablog.com/2013/06/hiv-being-used-to-cure-cancer-leukemia.html>.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

•  "Laparoscopic Surgery - What Is It?" American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeries. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fascrs.org/patients/treatments_and_screenings/laparoscopic_surgery/>.

•  "Nanodevices." National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/nanodevices>.

•  "Normal Cells Versus Cancer Cells." About.com Biology. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://biology.about.com/od/cellbiology/ss/normal-cells-cancer-cells.htm>.

•  "Radiation Therapy for Cancer." National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/radiation>.

•  "Stages of Cancer." Cancer.Net. American Society of Clinical Oncology, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/treating-cancer/stages-cancer>.

•  "T Cell." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/t/t_cell.htm>.

•  "Treatments and Side Effects." American Cancer Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/>.

•  "What Are Tumors?" Johns Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/BasicTypes1.php>.

•  "What Is Cancer?" American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/what-is-cancer>.

•  "What Is HIV/AIDS?" AIDS.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/>.

BIBLIOGRAPHY