Rational Design of Nanoparticles for Biological Applications

Nanoparticles are increasingly used to interact with biological systems. Accordingly, the number of methods to make nanoparticles with a wide variety of geometries and chemical compositions has risen sharply in the last decade. What is lacking, however, is comprehensive understanding of how nanoparticle properties affect their interaction with proteins and cells in biological systems. Put another way, why would one choose a particular geometry and chemical composition to accomplish a goal (targeted drug delivery, for example)?

Towards the goal of bottom-up nanoparticle design, I propose to use single-particle methods to discern mechanisms of nanoparticle interactions with biological systems such as proteins and cells. This research goal will be integrated with a study of self-assembly fundamentals in order to efficiently create new types of nanoparticles as they become justified by insights into nanoparticle behavior.

My experience in this area stems from my doctoral work developing a modular, micellar platform for the creation of multifunctional nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. In my post-doctoral research, I use single-molecule methods to make correlations between molecular conformation and the dynamic behaviors of adsorption, desorption and diffusion. These methods have lead to powerful mechanistic insight regarding the behavior of proteins and nucleic acids at interfaces. In combination, expertise in these areas has the potential to identify a set of “design criteria” for nanoparticles in addition to extending the ability of nanoparticles to probe and interact with proteins, cells, and tissue.