Lithographically defined shape-specific polymeric particulates for nanomedicine application.

摘要

Size and shape are fundamental properties of micro/nano particles that are critically important for nanomedicine applications. Extensive studies have revealed the effect particle size has on spherical particles with respect to biological behaviors such as blood circulation time or targeting efficacy to specific receptors on the cell. In contrast, the importance of particle shape has been less understood. The major contributing factor is that conventional bottom-up fabrication methods are limited in their ability to control the shape of polymeric particles precisely. This dissertation will mainly focus on the development of top-down platforms to fabricate shape-specific polymeric particles. Shape-specific polymeric particles incorporated with fluorescent or magnetic agents were demonstrated with high uniformity. Microfluidic testing platform was built to verify the shape effect on the flow behavior of fabricated particles. The fabrication platform developed here opened up the opportunity to perform fundamental study on how shape can alter the biological behavior of polymeric nanomedicine, thus leading to a more rational design of nanomedicine with enhanced efficacy but reduced toxicity.