###Synthesis, characterisation and biofunctionalization of magnetic nanoparticles for studying the cell internal structure for diagnosis and treatment of cancers.
Project ID: 2228bd1187 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies
UCL Lead department: Physics and Astronomy
Lead Supervisor: Thanh TK Nguyen
Project Summary:
Magnetic nanoparticles have been widely investigated for their great potential for various clinical applications such as mediators of heat for localised hyperthermia therapy. Nanocarriers have also attracted increasing attention due to the possibility of delivering drugs at specific locations, therefore limiting systematic effects. Cell movement, cell growth and division all depend on the continuous physical rearrangement of the cellular cytoskeleton and DNA. The accuracy and fidelity of these mechanical rearrangements are important as errors in cytoskeletal rearrangements and chromosome segregation are associated with multiple diseases including cancer. However, which physical forces drive intracellular rearrangements and how they are coordinated is poorly understood. The progress is currently limited by available physical tools that allow probing mechanical forces in live cells. In this project we will develop new tools to control magnetic nanoparticle assembly in live cells and apply it to measure forces generated by the microtubule cytoskeleton. These studies will reveal fundamental mechanisms that account for broad range of mechanical cellular functions during cell growth and cell division. Technology developed in this project will have strong impact across fields.
We have recently demonstrated that iron oxide nanoflowers provide 3 times higher heating rates, than any commercially available nanoparticle alternative. This is attributed to the flower-like shape for the iron oxide nanostructrures. Our iron oxide nanoflowers show very promising results potential for production at large-scale and at significantly reduced costs. That’s why it is very important to understand the thermal effect of magnetic nanoparticles in cancer biology.
The massive improvement of iron oxide nanoparticles heating rates was explained by the enhanced magnetic coupling between the iron oxide nanoflower building blocks. We synthesise and characterise different iron oxide nanoparticles and studying them for various biological processes.