Name: synthesis of monocyte-targeting peptide amphiphile micelles for imaging of atherosclerosis
Uploaded: 2017-11-17T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Synthesis of Monocyte-targeting Peptide Amphiphile Micelles for Imaging of Atherosclerosis at JoVE.com

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from the University of Southern California, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), R00HL124279, Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Award, and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Non-Cancer Translational Research Award granted to EJC. The authors thank the Center for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis, Center of Excellence in NanoBiophysics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Characterization, and Translational Imaging Center at the University of Southern California for assistance in instrumental setups.

NOTE: Read the MSDS for reagents and follow all chemical safety measures as required by local institution.
1. Preparation of MCP-1 PAMs
<ol>
	<li>Preparation of MCP-1 peptide
	<ol>
		<li>Weigh out 0.25 mmol of Fmoc-L-Lys(Boc)-Wang in a reaction vessel (RV). Rinse the side of the RV with 5 mL dimethylforamide (DMF) in a chemical fume hood.</li>
		<li>Load the RV onto an automated benchtop peptide synthesizer. Load pre-packaged amino acid vials, N&#39;-CYNFTINRKISVQRLASYRRITSS...

MCP-1 PAMs are a promising molecular imaging platform, consisting of a hydrophilic targeting peptide and hydrophobic tail that drives the self-assembled nature of the nanoparticle. This monocyte-targeting micelle can be prepared by simple synthesis and purification steps of the MCP-1 peptide and DSPE-PEG(2000)-MCP-1. PAMs have many beneficial characteristics for in vivo molecular imaging such as their self-assembly under mild conditions, intrinsic biodegradability, and structural and chemical diversity allowing ...

Cardiovascular diseases remain to be the leading causes of death globally with approximately 17.3 million deaths worldwide1. Cardiovascular diseases are contributed by atherosclerosis, a condition in which plaques build up in the arteries, thereby inhibiting blood and oxygen flow to the cells of the body2,3. The progression of atherosclerosis involves the thickening and hardening of arteries by an inflammatory response, irregular lipid metabolism, and plaque build-up, leading to plaque rupture and myocardial infarction4,5. Endothelial cells express cytokines and adhesion molecules, which include MCP-1 that binds to the C-C chemokine receptor (CCR2) found on the surface of monocytes6,7,8. Oxidized cholesterol converts monocytes to macrophages during the early stage of plaque formation, which amplifies the inflammatory response in the region and leads to tissue injury and the formation of unstable or vulnerable plaques9,10.
Traditionally, atherosclerosis is evaluated by assessing luminal stenosis by anatomical imaging using angiography or ultrasound11,12. However, these methods can only determine severe narrowing of the arterial wall and not the early stage of atherosclerosis, as initial plaque growth causes arterial remodeling to maintain artery size and blood flow rate12,13,14. Therefore, angiograms underrepresent atherosclerosis prevalence. Additionally, noninvasive imaging techniques such as single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging have recently been used to characterize plaque morphology as they can provide initial details and characterization of plaques. However, these modalities are often limited by the lack of sensitivity, spatial resolution, or require the use of ionizing radiation, making imaging plaque progression at different stages much more challenging15,16,17. An imaging delivery system that would specifically identify plaques at different stages of atherosclerosis remains to be developed.
Nanoparticles have shown to be an emerging platform for in vivo plaque targeting and diagnostics18,19,20,21. In particular, PAMs are advantageous due to their chemical diversity and ability to accommodate a variety of moieties, compositions, sizes, shapes, and surface functionalization22. Peptide amphiphiles (PAs) consist of a hydrophilic, peptide &#34;headgroup&#34; attached to a hydrophobic tail, which are typically lipids; this amphiphilic structure confers self-assembling capabilities and allows for a multivalent display of peptides on the surface of the particle22,23,24. The peptide headgroups can affect the particle shape through folding and hydrogen bonding between peptides25. Peptides that fold through &#946;-sheet interaction have been shown to form elongated micelles, while &#945;-helical confirmation can form both spherical and elongated micelles22,23,24,25,26,27. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers that shield the surface charge of the peptide can be placed between the hydrophilic peptide and the hydrophobic tail of PAMs, enhancing the availability of the nanoparticle in systemic circulation28,29,30,31. PAMs are also advantageous because they are biocompatible and have been shown to have a broad range of applications32,33. The water solubility of micelles offers an advantage over other nanoparticle-based systems such as certain polymeric nanoparticles that are not soluble in water and have to be suspended in solubilizers for injections34. Additionally, the ability to create PAMs that disassemble in response to a specific stimuli makes PAMs an attractive candidate for controlled intracellular drug delivery35.
By binding to the CCR2 receptor and accumulating in the aortic arch, PAMs were previously developed for monocyte targeting to monitor different stages of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta9. In ApoE-/- mice, monocyte accumulation increases proportionally to plaque progression36. Furthermore, it was found that patients with rupture-prone, late-stage plaques contain higher amounts of monocytes37. Therefore, the modification of PAMs to incorporate MCP-1 is useful because it allows for greater targeting specificity and differentiation between early- and late-stage atherosclerotic lesions. These proof-of-concept studies also verified that PAMs are safe enough to be used pre-clinically and are cleared renally38. Since monocytes and inflammation are characteristic to other diseases, MCP-1 PAMs have the potential to be used for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in other diseases beyond atherosclerosis8,39,40,41.
Herein, we report the fabrication of highly scalable and self-assembled MCP-1 PAMs that demonstrated the particle&#39;s optimal size, surface charge, and selective targeting to monocytes for enhanced imaging applications in atherosclerosis.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="834">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">1,2-ethanedithiol</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E0032</td>
			<td style="width:259px;">for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">10 mL disposable serological pipets</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89130-898</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">15 mL centrifuge tubes, polypropylene</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89401-566</td>
			<td>for various applications</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 99%</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>AC165200050</td>
			<td>for MALDI</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">25 mL disposable serological pipets</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89130-900</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">2-Mercaptoethanol, 50 mM</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">31350010</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">5 mL disposable serological pipets</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89130-896</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">50 mL centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89039-658</td>
			<td>for various applications</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">75 cm2 culture flask</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">13-680-65</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">75 mL reaction vessel</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>3000005</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">96-wells cell culture plate</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>40101-346</td>
			<td>for MTS assay</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Acetonitrile, HPLC grade</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A998SK-4</td>
			<td>for HPLC purification</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Borosilicate glass, 1 dram</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>66011-041</td>
			<td>for PAM synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Borosillicate glass pipet, Long tips</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>14673-043</td>
			<td>for various applications</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Coverslip, 0.16-0.19 mm, 22 x 22 mm</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-542B</td>
			<td>for confocal microscopy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Cy5 amine</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Abcam</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">ab146463</td>
			<td>for peptide conjugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Diethyl ether, ACS grade</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E138-1</td>
			<td>for peptide precipitation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Disposable syringes, 20 mL</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14-817-54</td>
			<td>for HPLC purification</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Double neubauer ruled hemocytometer</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>63510-13</td>
			<td>for cell counting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">DSPE-PEG(2000) amine</td>
			<td>Avanti</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">880128P</td>
			<td>for peptide conjugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">DSPE-PEG(2000) maleimide</td>
			<td>Avanti</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">880126P</td>
			<td>for peptide conjugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">DSPE-PEG(2000)-NHS ester&#160;</td>
			<td>Nanocs</td>
			<td>PG2-DSNS-10K</td>
			<td>for conjugation to Cy5</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Dulbecco&#39;s modified eagle medium-high glucose</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D5796-500ML</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fetal bovine serum, qualified, heat inactivated</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>10438026</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Ala-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-A</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Arg(Pbf)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-RBF</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Asn(Trt)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-NT</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Cys(Trt)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-CT</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Gln(Trt)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-QT</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Ile-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-I</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Leu-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-L</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Lys(Boc)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-KBC</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Phe-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-F</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Ser(tBu)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PS3-H5-SB</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Thr(tBu)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-TB</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Tyr(tBu)-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-YB</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fmoc-L-Val-OH /HBTU</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>PS3-H5-V</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Fmoc-Lys(Boc)-wang resin, 100-200 mesh</td>
			<td>Novabiochem</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">856013</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Formic acid, optima LC/MS grade</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A117-50</td>
			<td>for HPLC purification</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M152-1L</td>
			<td>for confocal microscopy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Hand tally counter</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S90189</td>
			<td>for cell counting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Magnetic stir bars, egg-shaped</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>58949-006</td>
			<td>for peptide conjugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Methanol, ACS certified</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A412-4</td>
			<td>for PAM synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">MTS cell proliferation colorimetric assay kit</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">10191-104</td>
			<td>for MTS assay</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">N,N-Dimethylformamide, sequencing grade</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP1160-4</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">N-Methylmorpholine</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td>S-1L-NMM</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">AC416780250</td>
			<td>for fixing cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">PBS, pH 7.4</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>10010049</td>
			<td>for various applications</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Penicillin/streptomycin, 10,000 U/mL</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15140122</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Peptide synthesis vessel, 25 mL&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">CG186011</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Phosphotungstic acid&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A248-25</td>
			<td>for TEM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Piperidine</td>
			<td>Spectrum</td>
			<td>P1146-2.5LTGL</td>
			<td>for peptide synthesis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Plain glass microscope slide 75 x 25 mm</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-550-A3</td>
			<td>for confocal microscopy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Reagent reservoirs, sterile&#160;</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>95128093</td>
			<td>for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Self-closing tweezer</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">TedPella</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">515</td>
			<td>for TEM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">TEM support film</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">TedPella</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">01814F</td>
			<td>for TEM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Trifluoroacetic acid&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP618-500</td>
			<td>for peptide cleavage and HPLC purification</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Triisopropylsilane</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>TCT1533-5ml</td>
			<td>for peptide cleavage</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Trypan blue solution, 0.4%</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">15250061</td>
			<td>for cell counting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Tweezer, general purpose-serrated</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">VWR</td>
			<td>231-SA-SE</td>
			<td>for confocal microscopy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">WEHI-274.1</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">ATCC&#160;CRL-1679</td>
			<td>murine monocyte</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">automated benchtop peptide synthesizer</td>
			<td>Protein Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:259px;">PS3 Benchtop Peptide Synthesizer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">&#945;- cyano- 4- hydroxycinnamic acid, 99%</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>476870-2G</td>
			<td>for MALDI</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

synthesis of monocyte-targeting peptide amphiphile micelles for imaging of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, which claims 17.3 million lives annually. Atherosclerosis is also the leading cause of sudden death and myocardial infarction, instigated by unstable plaques that rupture and occlude the blood vessel without warning. Current imaging modalities cannot differentiate between stable and unstable plaques that rupture. Peptide amphiphiles micelles (PAMs) can overcome this drawback as they can be modified with a variety of targeting moieties that bind specifically to diseased tissue. Monocytes have been shown to be early markers of atherosclerosis, while large accumulation of monocytes is associated with plaques prone to rupture. Hence, nanoparticles that can target monocytes can be used to discriminate different stages of atherosclerosis. To that end, here, we describe a protocol for the preparation of monocyte-targeting PAMs (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) PAMs). MCP-1 PAMs are self-assembled through synthesis under mild conditions to form nanoparticles of 15 nm in diameter with near neutral surface charge. In vitro, PAMs were found to be biocompatible and had a high binding affinity for monocytes. The methods described herein show promise for a wide range of applications in atherosclerosis as well as other inflammatory diseases.

Preparation of MCP-1 PAM 
The CCR2-binding motif (residues 13-35) of the MCP-1 protein [YNFTNRKISVQRLASYRRITSSK] or scrambled peptide [YNSLVFRIRNSTQRKYRASIST] was modified by adding a cysteine residue on the N-terminus. The MCP-1 peptide was synthesized by a Fmoc-mediated solid-phase method using an automated peptide synthesizer. The crude peptide was purified by reverse-phase HPLC on a C8 column at 50 &#176;C using 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile/water mixtures and charact...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Synthesis of Monocyte-targeting Peptide Amphiphile Micelles for Imaging of Atherosclerosis at JoVE.com

Synthesis of Monocyte-targeting Peptide Amphiphile Micelles for Imaging of Atherosclerosis

This paper presents a method involving the synthesis and characterization of monocyte-targeting peptide amphiphile micelles and the corresponding assays to test for biocompatibility and ability of the micelle to bind to monocytes.

Atherosclerosis is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, which claims 17.3 million lives annually. ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

Synthesis, Assembly, and Characterization of Monolayer Protected Gold Nanoparticle Films for Protein Monolayer Electrochemistry

Colloidal gold nanoparticles protected with alkanethiolate ligands called monolayer protected gold clusters (MPCs) are synthesized and subsequently ...

Cultivation of Human Neural Progenitor Cells in a 3-dimensional Self-assembling Peptide Hydrogel

The  influence of 3-dimensional (3D) scaffolds on growth, proliferation and finally  neuronal differentiation is of great interest in order to find new ...

Wideband Optical Detector of Ultrasound for Medical Imaging Applications

Optical sensors of ultrasound are a promising alternative to piezoelectric techniques, as has been recently demonstrated in the field of optoacoustic ...

Synthesis of Keratin-based Nanofiber for Biomedical Engineering

Electrospinning, due to its versatility and potential for applications in various fields, is being frequently used to fabricate nanofibers. Production of ...

Microwave-driven Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Fast Detection of Atherosclerosis

A fast and reproducible microwave-driven protocol has been developed for the synthesis of neridronate-functionalized nanoparticles. Starting from the ...

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Micelles have been successfully used for the delivery of anticancer drugs. Amphiphilic polymers form core-shell structured micelles in an aqueous ...

Synthesis of Cationized Magnetoferritin for Ultra-fast Magnetization of Cells

Many important biomedical applications, such as cell imaging and remote manipulation, can be achieved by labeling cells with superparamagnetic iron oxide ...

Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification

Hydrogels have been widely utilized to enhance the surface hydrophilicity of membranes for water purification, increasing the antifouling properties and ...

Design and Synthesis of a Reconfigurable DNA Accordion Rack

DNA nanostructure-based mechanical systems or DNA nanomachines, which produce complex nanoscale motion in 2D and 3D in the nanometer to &#229;ngstr&#246;m ...

In Vesiculo Synthesis of Peptide Membrane Precursors for Autonomous Vesicle Growth

Compartmentalization of biochemical reactions is a central aspect of synthetic cells. For this purpose, peptide-based reaction compartments serve as an ...