Polymeric backpacks are anisotropic, stratified polymeric thin films that are hundreds of nanometers thick and microns wide. They attach strongly and specifically to the surface of immune cells and can contain materials such as nanoparticles or DNA. The potential applications of combining synthetic materials with natural or altered functions of a cell include diagnostic applications and drug delivery devices.We will discuss the attachment of polymeric backpacks to a variety of immune cell types through direct covalent and antibody based methods and discuss the effects on the cell. Since the backpack leaves most of the cell surface unaltered, the cell can still interact with the environment and we have not seen any deleterious effects on the cell so far. Furthermore, prior results show that backpacks are phagocytosis resistant in the presence of macrophages and thus backpacks may be used for highly directed drug delivery.

Methods of polymeric backpacks attachment for cell-mediated drug delivery

244th National Meeting (2012)

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