By taking advantage of the full range of ways in which molecules can interact with and bind to one another, a team of investigators at the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence has created nanoparticles that assemble themselves layer by layer.
These nanoparticles, which contain two different types of imaging agents, also contain a peptide coating that targets tumor cells.
Wenbin Lin, Ph.D., of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, led the research effort to develop a relatively simple and versatile strategy for creating multifunctional nanoparticles capable of targeting specific types of cells. The investigators turned to a strategy known as layer-by-layer self-assembly, in which the various charged chemical components of a nanoparticle put themselves together in such a way that maximizes the interaction of positive and negative charges. The mild chemical environment required to trigger layer-by-layer assembly enabled the researchers to create multifunctional nanoparticles without worrying about damaging the targeting and imaging molecules they wanted to incorporate in the nanoparticles.