Nanoparticles

The limited ability of therapeutic agents to cross intact neurovascular barriers remain a major challenge in targeting neurological disorders. The Shubyaev lab joined Sugnho Jin and his colleague UCSD engineers in the development of safe, neurovascular barrier-crossing, on-demand, remote-controlled drug/gene carriers [1]. Their first-generation magnetic nanoparticles used to remote-control axonal growth resulted in nanoneurotoxicity and the development of a model and parameters for nanoneurotoxicity testing [1-4]. Their major subsequent design milestones were MRI-guided, blood-brain barrier-crossing silica-coated magnetic nanobowls recognized by the Controlled Release Society Jorge Heller award [5] and nanogolf balls [6] used as a gene transfection system in sensory neurons.  

1. Shubayev VI, et al: Magnetic nanoparticles for theragnostics, Drug. Deliv. Rev., 61 (6): 467-77, 2009.
2. Pisanic TR II et al: Nanotoxicity of iron oxide nanoparticle internalization in growing neurons, Biomaterials, 28 (16): 2572-81, 2007.
3. Pisanic TR II, et al: Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticle Nanotoxicity: Incidence and Mechanisms. In Nanotoxicity: From Health Risk to In Vitro and In Vivo Models. (Sahu SC, Casciano DA, editors), Wiley & Sons Ltd (20): 397-425, 2009.
4. Kim Y, et al: In vivo nanoneurotoxicity screening based on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation paradigms, Nanomedicine, 9 (7): 1057-66, 2013.
5. Kong S, et al: Magnetic targeting of nanoparticles across the intact blood-brain barrier, Control. Release, 164 (1): 49-57, 2012.
6. Mo AH, et al: Dual-functionalized theranostic nanocarriers, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 8 (23): 14740-46, 2016.