Barcoded spinel ferrite nanoparticles for in vivo targeting of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells (TIMC)
Final Report Abstract
The Walter Benjamin Fellowship provided through the DFG gave me an outstanding opportunity to perform excellent research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In the frame of this research visit I developed multiple functional materials based on nanoparticles and nano coatings. In close exchange to physicians and clinicians, novel magnetic nanostructures were created for liquid biopsy applications and early disease diagnosis. For instance, magnetoplasmonic particles were synthesized and coated with a novel antifouling polymer based on a zwitterionic chemical structure. These particles demonstrated excellent repulsion of non-specific proteins and therefore provided ultra high sensitivity in biosensing application, e.g., for the detection of bladder cancer related proteins in urine samples. This enormous success of zwitterionic antifouling coatings were further explored while developing an organic molecule that comprises both, electrochemical functionality and zwitterionic antifouling properties. This molecules could be easily polymerized onto sensing substrates within few minutes and demonstrated far superior properties compared to other commonly used sensing surfaces. In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these sensing substrates were used in a proof-of-concept study to detect neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in human saliva which provided useful insights into the efficacy of the vaccines. In a final project, magnetofluorescent beads were prepared and used for multiplexed liquid biopsy to detect extracellular vesicles in bodily fluids which are indicative of early stage pancreatic cancer.
Publications
- Magnetic gold nanoparticles with idealized coating (MAGIC) for enhanced point-of-care sensing, Adv Healthcare Mater, 2021 Nov 8:e2102035
I. Gessner, J.-H. Park, H.-Y. Lin, H. Lee, and R. Weissleder
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202102035) - Zwitterionic polymer electroplating to produce optimal surface chemistry for biosensing Adv. Mater, 2021 Dec 10:e2107892
T. Kilic, I. Gessner, N. Jeong, J. Quintana, R. Weissleder, H. Lee
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202107892)
