Quantum Dot Conjugated Magnetic Nanoparticles for Targeted Drug Delivery and Imaging

Abstract

Nanotechnology is being increasingly applied for developing drug delivery options for specific treatments. Magnetic nanoparticles have drawn attention as drug delivery vehicles due to their stability, biocompatibility and ability to be non-invasively guided to desired target areas using magnetic fields. In this paper, we describe a new delivery vehicle for magnetic drug targeting. In magnetic drug targeting, drug functionalized magnetic nanoparticles are guided and localized at specific sites using external magnetic fields. Magnetic nanoparticles act as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. However, it cannot be visualized via this technique during drug delivery. This is between magnetic fields used for imaging and delivery can interference with each other. Our laboratory has synthesized a magnetic drug targeting vehicle conjugated with quantum dots that can be imaged during the drug delivery process with in vivo imaging techniques such as fluorescence molecular tomography. These nanocomposites can be used as drug delivery vehicles for the central nervous system, where drug targeting is especially difficult and minimizing side effects is critical.

Magnetophoresis of paramagnetic metal ions in porous media

“…Magnetically assisted separation provides an environmentally benign and cost-effective strategy for a broad range of applications including transport and separation of nanoparticles for drug delivery, 1,2 in chemical kinetics, 3 as magnetic contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, 4 for microfluidic applications, 5 and for water purification. [6][7][8][9] In particular, this method is superior to chemical and size-based separation methods in cases where the solutes to be separated are chemically and physically similar but differ in magnetic properties.…”

Advance and Prospects of Nanotheranostic Technology for Gastric Cancer

“…Current advances show that gastric cancer therapeutic strategies should focus on early diagnosis and operation therapy, enhanced immunotherapy, imagingdirected therapy, and killing gastric cancer stem cells to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). Given these strategies, we designed and prepared some nanodevices and series of multifunctional nanoprobes for screening, prewarning, early diagnosis and targeted imaging and therapy of early gastric cancer, including prewarning SNP arrays, breath analysis sensors, CTC microfluidic chips, series of fluorescent magnetic nanoprobes, series of quantum dots nanoprobes [52], series of gold nanoprobes, series of upconversion nanoprobes, RNA nanoprobes, and nanoprobes for killing gastric cancer stem cells and enhanced immunotherapeutic efficacy. The main challenges to the translational research of those nanoprobes still focus on the better understanding of the interactions between nanoparticles and biomacromolecules and the immune system, the homogeneity of the material preparations, the paucity of the knowledge regarding pertinent biomarkers and the concern regarding biocompatibility.…”

Constitutive relationship and governing physical properties for magnetophoresis

“…magnetophoresis | magnetic targeting | residual magnetization | magnetic diffusion | magnetic convection M agnetophoresis is a physical phenomenon concerning the motion of magnetic particles in response to an external magnetic field (1,2). This phenomenon has been exploited in a broad range of applications involving magnetic seals and inks (3), catalysts (4), ferrofluids (5), contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (6,7), carriers for targeted drug delivery (7)(8)(9), and magnetic hyperthermia (10). Most of these applications aim at directing paramagnetic nanoparticles to a target location using external magnets (a process referred to as a magnetic targeting (11)), where the objective is to obtain the desired concentration of magnetic nanoparticles within a neighborhood of the targeted location in specific time duration.…”