Ormosil
Encyclopedia
Ormosil is a shorthand phrase for organically modified silica or organically modified silicate
. These are engineered materials that show great promise in a wide range of applications such as:
This technology has been demonstrated as a nonviral vector
to successfully deliver DNA
loads to specifically targeted cells in living animals. Confirmation of results demonstrated that new DNA
was working and expressed gene
s in the animal.
Silicate
A silicate is a compound containing a silicon bearing anion. The great majority of silicates are oxides, but hexafluorosilicate and other anions are also included. This article focuses mainly on the Si-O anions. Silicates comprise the majority of the earth's crust, as well as the other...
. These are engineered materials that show great promise in a wide range of applications such as:
- alternative to viral vectorViral vectorViral vectors are a tool commonly used by molecular biologists to deliver genetic material into cells. This process can be performed inside a living organism or in cell culture . Viruses have evolved specialized molecular mechanisms to efficiently transport their genomes inside the cells they infect...
s for geneGeneA gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
delivery, with superior transfectionTransfectionTransfection is the process of deliberately introducing nucleic acids into cells. The term is used notably for non-viral methods in eukaryotic cells...
efficiencies - suspension media and substrates for next generation solar cellSolar cellA solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s (quantum dots) - matrix material for UV-protection coating
- matrix material for laser dyeLaser dyeLaser dyes are very large organic molecules with molecular weights of a few hundred mu. When one of these organic molecules is dissolved in a suitable liquid solvent it can be used as gain medium in a dye laser. Laser dye solutions absorb at shorter wavelengths end emit at longer wavelengths...
-doped organic-inorganic solid state dye lasersSolid state dye lasersSolid state dye lasers were introduced in 1967 by Soffer and McFarland. In these solid state lasers, the gain medium is a laser dye-doped organic matrix such as poly , rather than a liquid solution of the dye...
This technology has been demonstrated as a nonviral vector
Vector (molecular biology)
In molecular biology, a vector is a DNA molecule used as a vehicle to transfer foreign genetic material into another cell. The four major types of vectors are plasmids, viruses, cosmids, and artificial chromosomes...
to successfully deliver DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
loads to specifically targeted cells in living animals. Confirmation of results demonstrated that new DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
was working and expressed gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s in the animal.