Project Description

Lipid micelles represent an important class of nanoparticle with the potential to enhance the solubility and delivery of hydrophobic drugs and imaging agents. Their small size (< 50 nm) makes them ideal candidates for both passive tumor uptake and deep tissue penetration. The use of lipid micelles as delivery vehicles, however, has been challenged by the fact that these particles are inherently unstable in vivo due to concentration dependence and interactions with serum proteins. We have developed a minimalist method to stabilize the formation of micelles using lipid monomers covalently modified with short oligonucleotide sequences. In my project, I seek to optimize the lipid tail component and investigate their contribution to the stability of the micelle.

Department

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Faculty Advisor

Samantha Wilner