Protein toxins represent a ranged attack mechanism employed by a variety of organisms to help aid in their survival. The more potent ones can have a large and immediate impact on human wellbeing, causing irreparable damage and oftentimes death. Toxin-secreting organisms are highly prevalent in nature, and notable examples include bacteria, snakes, and insects among many others. Increasing understanding of protein toxins has provided a clear picture of the different virulence mechanisms, most of which are aimed at disrupting or bypassing the cell membrane interface. Advances in nanotechnology have yielded many cell-membrane mimicking nanoformulations for neutralization of these membrane-bound toxins. Herein, a biomimetic toxin nanosponge, which consists of a polymeric nanoparticle core surrounded by natural cellular membrane, is reported as a novel toxin decoy to absorb protein toxins and divert them away from their cellular targets. The use of the toxin nanosponge for both detection and removal of protein toxins is discussed.  <br/>

Biomimetic nanosponges for detection and removal of protein toxins

251st National Meeting (2016)

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