Nanoparticles

 

Effective nanoparticle therapeutics must balance surface chemistry that increases biocompatibility without sacrificing activity.  In a new collaboration, my group has partnered with A. Jeremic (GW Biological Sciences) and J. Leiter (Dartmouth Medical School) to modify cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) with lipids for improved biocompatibility.  CeNPs are proven antioxidants and radical scavengers.  However, in the bare form, they exhibit poor uptake and circulation time in vivo.  My research group has modified the nanoparticle surface chemistry, encapsulated them in lipids and has begun to test their activity of hydrogen peroxide degradation in comparison to peroxidases.  Our ultimate goals are to increase biocompatibility, circulation time and uptake while maintaining sufficient radical scavenging activity for efficacy. 

[1] J. Leiter, S. Gillmor, A. Jeremic, E. Vert-Wong, G. Fairbrothers, Method of Enhancing the Biodistribution and Tissue Targeting Properties of Therapeutic CeO2 Particles via Nanoencapsulation and Coating, in, 2014.

[2] K.L. Heckman, W. DeCoteau, A. Estevez, K.J. Reed, W. Costanzo, D. Sanford, J.C. Leiter, J. Clauss, K. Knapp, C. Gomez, P. Mullen, E. Rathbun, K. Prime, J. Marini, J. Patchefsky, A.S. Patchefsky, R.K. Hailstone, J.S. Erlichman, Custom Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Protect against a Free Radical Mediated Autoimmune Degenerative Disease in the Brain, ACS Nano, 7 (2013) 10582-10596. (abstract)