Impact of protein adsorption on nanoparticle location inside mammalian cells

• Grant number: 19/00720-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Agreement: University of Illinois
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Mateus Borba Cardoso
• Grantee: Mateus Borba Cardoso
• Principal researcher abroad: Andrew Michael Smith
• Institution abroad: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 15/25406-5 - Organizing matter: colloids formed by association of surfactants, polymers and nanoparticles, AP.TEM

Abstract

Only a few nanoparticles (NPs) have passed FDA clinical trials for human use despite meaningful decades of in advances in NP drug-delivery systems and numerous published works. The proposal described here aims to understand the impact of protein presence on the ultimate location of nanoparticles inside mammalian cells. Silica particles containing fluorescent molecules such as Cy5, Alexa 647, and Atto 630 will be synthesized and then functionalized with distinct chemical groups (PEG of different chain lengths and different zwitterion groups) which are either able to induce or suppress nonspecific protein adsorption. Nanoparticles (with and without protein corona) will be in-depth investigated and their location inside of mammalian cells will be studied by complementary imaging techniques. Transmission electron microscopy will be employed to visualize NPs within cell compartments at the highest level of resolution (sub-nanometer) at fixed time points while optical microscopy will be used to measure locations dynamically over time in individual living cells. (AU)