Late detection and limited surgical options for many pancreatic cancer patients has spurred interest in developing highly specific and potent therapies. Nanoparticles present an ideal vehicle due to their small size, low toxicity, and high surface area to volume ratio. This project focuses on the surface modification of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to achieve biocompatibility and targeted drug delivery. Recent work explores the conjugation of nanoparticles to monoclonal antibodies targeting membrane antigens overexpressed in some pancreatic cancers. Building on existing methods, human immunoglobulin was attached to the silica surface of the nanoparticles via a polyethylene glycol polymer to begin the functionalization process. Nanoparticles are characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), surface charge (zeta potential), and with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine their utility as contrast agents for tracking in vivo.

Functionalizing silica-coated iron oxide nanovehicles for imaging and targeted cancer therapeutics

246th National Meeting (2013)

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