CHED 305 |
| Nanoparticles exhibit properties unique to materials of that size making them favorable candidates for use in many fields. Yet, as nanoparticle use becomes prevalent, concerns about their effects on the human body have surfaced. Thus, we postulated that if we utilized these toxic properties of the nanoparticles and harnessed these properties to malignant cells, a novel cancer therapy could be developed. We synthesized folate-coated nanoparticles as cancerous cells are known to over-exhibit folic acid receptors. We additionally introduced fetal bovine serum to the nanoparticles, as cancer cells require more nutrition than normal cells do due to their high proliferation rate. The particles were then characterized using TGA, TEM, and EXAFS. We expected that the cancer cells would consume the disguised nanoparticles, which would, in turn, prove to be toxic to the cells, thereby significantly reducing the number of or perhaps even destroying the cancer cells. Our results indicate that the health of the cells with nanoparticles was severely adversely affected as compared to the cells without. Furthermore, the cells treated with nanoparticles with protein displayed poorer health than those treated with plain nanoparticles, indicating the larger uptake rate of nanoparticles with protein as compared to nanoparticles without protein. |
|
Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Nanotechnology
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |