The convergence of the fields of nanotechnology and medicine has resulted in innovative approaches for novel disease therapies, biomedical imaging and sensing, and numerous others. In particular, the use of gold nanoparticles in rapid diagnostics for infectious diseases has been emerging as an application with the potential to address some of the major challenges in global health. These assays are low-cost and can be used in rugged environments, so they are attractive for widespread deployment for disease surveillance, quarantining, and treatment. One of the biggest challenges for effectively using nanoparticles in biological applications is the physical interface between the nanoparticles and its biological environment. Surface fouling and non-specific adsorption can lead to undesirable side effects such as diminished targeting specificity and cell uptake, unfavorable biodistribution, and toxicity. However, non-specific adsorption can actually be exploited for biological applications. We show how the unique properties of protein coronas and the nano-bio interface in general can be utilized for different medical applications including disease diagnostics for dengue, zika, chikungunya, Ebola, and other pathogens. We will discuss the unique interface issues in lateral flow immunoassays, and also discuss how multicolored nanoparticles can important new capabilities to the assays.

Engineering the nano-bio interface for nanomedicine applications

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.