Theranostics in MEPhI
MEPhI has developed microcapsules with quantum dots for cancer diagnosis
Scientists of the Laboratory of Nano-Bioengineering of the Engineering Physics Institute of Biomedicine of the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI" Galina Nifontova, Maria Zvaizgne, Maria Baryshnikova and Igor Nabiev in collaboration with researchers from MIPT, the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine (Germany) and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France) have developed polyelectrolyte microcapsules with embedded quantum dots, which can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases.
Polyelectrolyte microcapsules are one of the most promising means of targeted delivery and controlled release of drugs, contrast agents and fluorescent labels for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including cancer.
Scientists have developed a method for producing microparticles with a multilayer shell of variously charged polyelectrolytes, in which quantum dots are embedded – fluorescent nanocrystals characterized by bright glow and high photostability. These properties of nanocrystals make them attractive fluorescent labels for visualization of intracellular penetration and delivery of microcapsules.
The possibility of including quantum dots that fluoresce in different spectral regions in theranostic diagnostic and drug delivery systems based on polyelectrolyte microcapsules also opens up broad prospects for tracking their transport in the body. "As experiments have shown, it is possible to trace the fate of microcapsules even at the intracellular level – through the distribution of capsules and their contents across cellular compartments," said Galina Nifontova, the lead performer of the international project, researcher at the Laboratory of Nano–Bioengineering at MEPhI.
According to her, the analysis of the properties of optically encoded microcapsules shows that they can serve as a basis for the development of effective theranostic tools of a new generation. "That is, agents that serve both for diagnosis and targeted drug delivery," she explained.
The researchers determined the optimal content of quantum dots used for the coding procedure, providing optimal fluorescent properties of the encoded microcapsules. In the course of the study, the results of which are published in the journal Nanoscale Research Letters, the absorption of microcapsules by cells and, in particular, by mouse macrophages was demonstrated. This confirmed the possibility of effective use of the developed system for visualization of living cells, as well as transportation and delivery of microcapsules in living cells.
The presented work was supported by the State Task program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on the topic "Multifunctional stimulus-sensitive microcapsules and nanocrystals for early diagnosis and effective treatment of lung cancer and breast cancer".
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