(601q) Surface Functionalization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Biological Applications

Biocompatibility and tunable magnetic properties have made iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) a widely explored material in bioimaging, targeted drug delivery, and localized therapy. For each of these applications, NPs need to be injected intravenously, and will directly interact with the human body’s immune system. Protein absorption and non-specific binding to the NP surfaces, in vivo, may trigger an undesirable immune response. Systematically modifying the NP surfaces may potentially reduce the immune response and, in conjunction, increase blood circulation time and targeting efficiency.

This work is in part supported by NSF DMR-0907204 and CAREER: DMR 1149931