BACKGROUND:  Advances in nanotechnology over the last two decades have allowed for use of nanoparticles in therapeutic applications. A number of nanoparticles such as quantum dots, polymer-based nanoparticles, and gold nanoshells have successfully been used in pre-clinical studies, clinical trials or become commercial products. Despite advances in nanoparticle therapeutics, there is a need for developing novel synthetic approaches in order to produce new-generation nanoparticles, which exhibits significantly improved characteristics, including controllable sizes/morphologies, low toxicity, and in-vivo degradability.

INNOVATION:  UCLA scientists have developed a supramolecular approach for the preparation of size-controllable nanoparticles from three specific molecular (nano) building blocks. This approach offers synthetic convenience, flexibility and modularity of the size and surface chemistry of the nanoparticle. Nanoparticles with controllable sizes between 30 and 350nm have been obtained. These nanoparticles can be used for the assembly of a wide range of nanostructured materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphite nanoplates, quantum dots, and organic/inorganic materials into well-defined larger nanostructures.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS 

• Supramolecular nanoparticles assembled via this method have broad application, including targeted drug delivery, imaging diagnostics, chemo therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy

ADVANTAGES

• This synthetic approach offers synthetic convenience, flexibility, and modularity to alter sizes and surface chemistry of the supramolecular nanoparticle
• Unlike polymer-based nanoparticles production, this method offers ease of synthesis
• This method confers low-toxicity, low-immunogenicity, non-pathogenicity, and in-vivo degradability to the resulting supramolecular nanoparticles
• Assembly approach allows control of particle's surface charges, and chemistry for better serum stability and biological circulation

DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:  Nanoparticles assembled using the method developed were used for imaging of tumor and lymph node drainage, gene delivery, and delivery to immune cells. Incorporation of drug-grafted polymer into the nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery is underway.

Related Papers (Selected)

• Hao Wang, Shutao Wang, Helen Su, Kuan-Ju Chen, Amanda Lee Armijo, Wei-Yu Lin, Yanju Wang, Jing Sun, Ken-ichiro Kamei, Johannes Czernin, Caius G. Radu, Hsian-Rong Tseng. A supramolecular approach for preparation of size-controllable nanoparticles. Angew. Chem. 121, 4408-4412 (2009). [more]

Reference: UCLA Case No. 2009-340