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Background
Nanoparticles
What are nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles are tiny particles with diameters ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers, making them roughly 1000 times
smaller than the width of a human hair.
These minuscule entities come in various shapes and can be crafted from a wide array of materials.
In recent times, nanoparticles containing metallic elements, particularly Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs), have
gained significant prominence.
IONPs are lauded for their exceptional biological compatibility and inherent ferromagnetism.
This is why our program is dedicated to the study of IONPs, as they offer a diverse range of applications.
For instance, in the realm of cancer therapy, IONPs can generate heat that selectively targets and eradicates
tumor cells.
And how can you make them?
There are different ways of producing these nanoparticles
Chemical
Physical
Coorecipitation
but these production methods all have their downsides.
Inconsistent
Unadaptable
Toxic
Expensive
What can we do?
Biosynthesitic Nanoparticles
Our genetically edited E. coli is used to synthesize Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) by adding
Fe3+ for induction.
After leaving the system in shaker for 1-2 days, we can seperate the IONPs from the culture by
untrasonification
and filtration method designed and tested by us own.
What is special about our
nanoparticles?
They are not just any other nanoparticles! They have special abilities due to their properties.
We then step into exploring therapeutic applications and drug delivery possibilities.
One promising direction for future work is to optimize the design of plasmids to enable the expression
terminal of antibodies to be located at the same site as the IONPs.This strategic modification would
facilitate the self-assembly of antibodies and IONPs.
By further refining the coating composition, understanding the synthetic mechanism, and optimizing plasmid
design, we are paving the way for improved efficiency, stability, and functionality of these
nanoparticles.
We are also trying to find new applications of nanoparticles in various fields, including targeted drug
delivery, biomedical imaging, and therapeutics.
We have conducted extensive research, consulted experts, and implemented human
practices to ensure the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of our proposed solution.
We have actively engaged with stakeholders, including patient advocacy groups,
healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical companies, to gather insights and address concerns related to
safety.
The Westlake-China consists of twelve ambitious undergraduates
a with varied backgrounds ranging from expertise in biomedical engineering (modeling, programming
chemical biology, synthetic biology, and organic chemistry) to experience with entrepreneurship, animation
design, web authoring, and graphic design.