Project Description

Lipid micelles are an important class of nanoparticle with the potential to enhance the solubility and delivery of hydrophobic drugs and imaging agents. Their small size (<50nm) makes them ideal candidates for both passive tumor uptake and deep tissue penetration. Despite this advantage, their delivery is challenged by the fact that these particles are inherently unstable in vivo due to concentration dependence and interactions with serum proteins, which cause destabilization. We have developed a minimalist method to stabilize the formation of micelles using lipid monomers covalently modified with short DNA sequences. My project will focus on the effect of DNA sequence on micelle stability.

Department

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Faculty Advisor

Samantha Wilner