targeting – TechConnect Briefs

How does nanoparticle design affect targeting selectivity: computer modeling

Dormidontova E.E., University of Connecticut, US

One of the areas of active development of modern nanomedicine is application of polymer tethered nanoparticles for drug/gene delivery and imaging. The optimal nanoparticle design for targeting one type of cell may be quite different [...]

Nanosystem for targeting Treg in vivo

Bottini M., Bottini N., Sacchetti C., Rapini N., Rosato N., Magrini A., Bottini M., Bottini N., Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute, US

Due to their ability to suppress the activity of autoreactive cells, “natural” CD4+ CD25high FoxP3+ T cells (Treg) are important drug targets for autoimmune diseases and malignancies. Immunological studies are revealing a growing subset of [...]

Exploiting the “protein corona effect” for targeted drug and gene delivery

Caracciolo G., Pozzi D., Capriotti A.L., Cavaliere C., Cardarelli F., Salomone F., Laganà A., Sapienza University of Rome, IT

When administered in vivo lipid nanoparticles (NPs) are immediately covered by a rich protein layer, known as “protein corona” that changes the size, aggregation state, and interfacial properties of the NP, giving it a biological [...]

Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Doxorubicin Conjugated to Ultrasmall Au Nanoparticles

Zhang E., Ntumba K., Nadeau J., McGill University, CA

In this study we find that ultra-small (mean diameter, 2.8 nm) Au nanoparticles conjugated to doxorubicin (Au-Dox) are up to five-fold more cytotoxic to B16 melanoma cells than Dox alone. The particles enter the cell [...]

Landscape Phage Probes for Breast Cancer Cells

Fagbohun O.A., Bedi D., Jayanna P.K., Deinnocentes P.A., Bird R.C., Petrenko V.A., Auburn University, US

Landscape phage libraries are collections of filamentous phages displaying random foreign peptides on all 4,000 surface domains of the major coat protein. They serve as a rich source of bioselective materials that are used in [...]

Landscape phage probes for PC3 prostate carcinoma cells

Jayanna P.K., Deinnocentes P., Bird R.C., Petrenko V.A., Auburn University, US

Cancer chemotherapy is complicated by a lack of selective drug targets. The use of liposomes as vectors for drug delivery has provided a route to selective accumulation of nanoparticles in the tumor interstitium due to [...]

Organisation of peptide ligands on the surface of gene vectors

Wang M., Miller A.D., Thanou M., Imperial College London, UK

Through the considerate organisation of surface ligands, we have developed a lipid-based vector for the targeted delivery to cancer cells. Our ligand is a short peptide with high affinity for the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator receptor [...]

Targeting Nanoparticles to Tumors using Adenoviral Vectors

Saini V., Enervold M.R., Perez A., Koploy A., Perkins G., Ellisman M.H., Green H.N., Mirov S.B., Zharov V.P., Everts M., University of Alabama at Birmingham, US

Despite advances in detection and treatment of cancer, development of novel therapies remains essential; in this regard, nanotechnology holds great promise. For example, tumor imaging opportunities have expanded by the development of quantum dots (QDs) [...]