报告题目：Nanoparticles with Dynamic Topographical Structures for Ultra-Long Blood Circulation and Cancer Therapy

报告人：Prof. Hao Cheng, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University

时间：9月14日上午10点

地点：英士楼201会议室

联系人：和亚宁

Nanoparticles with Dynamic Topographical Structures for Ultra-Long Blood Circulation and Cancer Therapy

Hao Cheng

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University

Drug nanocarriers have been extensively studied for cancer treatment. Despite some development, there are two major challenges in applying nanomedicines in cancer therapy. One is the short blood circulation half-life of nanocarriers as they are cleared by cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, and the other is their low interstitial diffusion in solid tumors mainly because of the elevated density of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). We have found that a hierarchical polyethylene glycol (PEG) shell is highly efficient in prolonging nanomaterials blood circulation times because of a dynamic effect of chain fluctuation. High density PEG shell in the brush regime does not have this effect. Previous studies of long circulating nanomaterials all focused on reducing nanoparticle uptake by macrophages. Surprisingly, our studies reveal that the dynamic effect extends nanoparticle blood circulation through a new mechanism, which does not involve macrophages. Based on the design of hierarchical molecular grafts, we have developed a unique enzyme conjugation strategy that embeds enzymes in hierarchical PEG shells instead of exposing enzymes to the outmost surface of nanoparticles. This strategy dramatically increased nanoparticle diffusion and accumulation in solid tumors via extended nanoparticle blood circulation and tumor ECM degradation, leading to a highly efficient antitumor efficacy. Thus, our platform technology of controlling topographical structure of nanocarriers may be valuable to enhance the clinical efficacy of a broad range of drug nanocarriers.

Bio

成昊博士是美国爵硕大学材料科学与工程系助理教授，同时任生物医学工程学院的兼职助理教授。他在清华大学的化工系获得学士及硕士学位。期间进行了偶氮聚合物方面的研究。随后在美国西北大学材料科学与工程系进行聚电解质水溶液的理论研究并获得博士学位。作为博士后，他在西北大学和麻省理工学院进行了癌症及生物材料等方面的研究。成昊教授已在PNAS, Nano Letters, ACS Nano, Advanced Materials 以及 Cancer Research 等学术期刊发表30篇文章，参与编纂了一本学术书籍。他在细胞表面修饰及应用细胞作为药物载体的领域做出了一些原创性贡献。成昊教授现在的实验室致力于纳米材料和细胞相互作用的基础研究和免疫治疗领域的应用型研究。