Self-assembly of Composite Polysaccharide Photonic Nanomaterials
Peng, Berney.
2020
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts
University, 2020.
Submitted to the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering.
Advisor: Igor Sokolov.
Committee: Igor Sokolov, Qiaobing Xu, Mark Cronin-Golomb, and Jatin Roper.
Keywords: Biomedical engineering, Nanotechnology, and Materials Science.
Fluorescent targeting nanoparticle contrast agents can serve as an effective companion ... read moresolution for biomedical imaging and diagnostics of cancer. Particles can be used to label intra- and extracellular biomarkers and provide key information for clinical decisions based on high resolution, real-time optical imaging while mitigating off-target immunogenic effects. Biodistribution, toxicity, and delivery efficacy, however, remain the primary obstacles in translating nanomaterials from the bench to patient bedside. Therefore, finding biocompatible materials are a priority. In this dissertation, we present the utilization of cellulose acetate to develop a class of renewable and chemically inert photonic nanomaterials possessing well-defined safety profiles. Particles were generated from supramolecular assemblies of cellulose acetate and guest polymers, producing composite materials with high biocompatibility, tunable morphology, physical encapsulation ability, and excellent luminescence. In the first part of the dissertation, we assessed the targeting of nanoparticle contrast agents within zebrafish cervical cancer xenografts and colorectal cancer mouse models as well as in vitro mouse organoids. Studies showed that fluorescent nanoparticles bound with high affinity to Apc-deficient organoids versus normal colon organoids. In ex vivo experiments, nanoparticles topically attached to Apc-deficient tumors but not significantly to adjacent normal colon. In the second section, we fabricated near-infrared optical sensors to investigate nanoscale temperature and viscosity in real time. The application of nanosensors to live MCF10A and HeLa cells revealed highly heterogeneous intracellular thermal energy mappings at single nanoparticle resolution, with local temperatures exceeding 50 oC. Studies also signaled possible metabolic differences between normal and cancer cells. Diminished thermal output or metabolic activity was observed when examining cell starvation. These findings warrant additional investigation into the biochemical processes underpinning cellular energy generation but also raise new possibilities in future nanoscale sensor innovation.read less - ID:
- 0z709983t
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