This study aims to prepare theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) that are expected to increase cancer diagnostics and therapeutic efficacy. We prepared the NPs constituting carbon dots (CDs) as an imaging agent, folic acid as a targeting agent, doxorubicin (DOX), or gemcitabine (GEM) as chemotherapy agents. The NPs include noncovalent FA-CDs-DOX, covalent CDs-FA-DOX, and covalent FA-CDs-GEM. Through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, the fabrication of these NPs was confirmed. It was discovered that the high drug loading efficiency is the noncovalent series while the high drug loading capacity is the covalent series The in-vitro pH-dependent drug release data indicate the NPs release more drugs at around pH 5.0 than at pH 7.4. The NPs sizes are between 2-5 nm. The Cell viability was investigated using the Alamar Blue assay and the three NPs complexes exhibited strong therapeutic efficacy against MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells as compared with CDs-drug.

The main aim of this study is to synthesize theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) that will drastically increase the diagnostics and therapeutic efficacy for cancer. In this research, we had prepared the NPs which constitute carbon dots (CDs), the imaging agent, Folic acid, the targeting agent, and Doxorubicin (DOX) or Gemcitabine (GEM) as the chemotherapy agents. The prepared NPs include noncovalent FA-CDs-DOX, covalent CDs-FA-DOX, and covalent FA-CDs-GEM. The spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), were used to confirm the successful fabrication of these complexes. Through UV-vis analysis, the drug loading capacity (DLC) and drug loading efficiency (DLE) of the complexes were determined. The noncovalent series had a higher DLE of about 83% while the covalent series showed higher DLC, 70% on average indicating high drug content. The in-vitro pH-dependent drug release shows that the noncovalent FA-CDs-DOX and the covalent FA-CDs-GEM series release more drugs into the cancer cells (pH of 5.0) than into healthy normal (pH of 7.4). The sizes of NPs were measure around 2-5 nm with Dynamic light Scattering (DLS). The toxicity of CDs, CDs-drug, and FA-CDs-drug on MDA-MB468 breast cancer cell was tested through the methylthiazolytetrazolium (MTT) assay and found that the FA bonded NPs exhibited strong therapeutic efficacy. More pharmaceutical data towards the cancer cells are investigated by our research collaborators – the pharmaceutical department at ETSU and Xavier University at Louisiana.

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Many attempts have been made to make cancer therapy more selective and less detrimental to the health of the patients. Nanoparticles have emerged as a way to solve some of the problems of traditional chemotherapy. Nanoparticles can provide protection for the therapeutic from degradation or clearance, as well as protection to healthy tissue from the damaging effects of chemotherapy drugs. Researchers are pursuing different strategies but all have the same goals of improving the outcomes of cancer patients. The field of controlled release of drugs has increased significantly in hopes of better treating diseases like cancer. Improved control of drug release has great potential for improving patient outcomes. Still there exist certain barriers such as circulation time, cell specificity, and endosomal escape.In this study a novel drug delivery vehicle was studied in vitro. The novel construct consisted of a liposome containing perfluorocarbon emulsions—an eLiposome—that was activated by ultrasound to break open on demand. Two targeting moieties were attached to the eLiposome to increase cell specificity and induce endocytosis. These studies determined the localization of eLiposomes in vitro using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results indicated that eLiposomes modified with a targeting moiety attached to HeLa cells to a greater extent than non-targeting eLiposomes. Confocal images indicated localization of eLiposomes around the membrane of cells. Flow cytometer results indicated that ultrasound does in fact disrupt the eLiposomes but evidence of significant delivery to the cytoplasm was not obtained. However cells that were incubated with eLiposomes for 24 hours showed over 60% of the cells had green color association indicating eLiposome uptake.

Graphen und Siliciumdioxid Nanopartikel sind als Trägersubstanz für Medikamente beim Drug Targeting von Interesse. Diese Arbeit ist eine toxikologische Untersuchung der Nanopartikel Graphen und Siliciumdioxid im Zellmodell. Dabei wurden Graphen Nanopartikel mit einer Dicke von 6 bis 8 nm und einer Breite von 15 µm verwendet. Die verwendeten Siliciumdioxid Nanopartikel waren kugelförmig und porös mit einer Partikel-Größe von 5 bis 20 nm. Die dosisabhängige Toxizität (Konzentrationen 0,01 mg/ml, 0,1 mg/ml und 1 mg/ml, Inkubation über 24 Stunden) gegenüber 5 verschiedenen Zelllinien (cerebEND, Caco-2, Hep G2, HEK-293, H441) wurde geprüft. Dabei kamen Zellviabilitätstests (CellTiter-Glo Assay, EZ4U-Test) zum Einsatz. Zudem wurde mit den Apoptose-Markern Bax und Caspase-3 auf Gen- und Proteinebene (Polymerasekettenreaktion und Western Blot) überprüft, ob eine Apoptose eingeleitet wurde. Zur Untersuchung der Zellviabilität wurde der CellTiter-Glo Assay verwendet. Für Graphen Nanopartikel zeigte sich ab einer Konzentration von 1 mg/ml bei den Zelllinien HEK-293 und H441 ein statistisch signifikanter Abfall der Zellviabilität. CerebEND und Hep G2 Zellen reagierten auf Graphen Nanopartikel ab einer Konzentration von 1 mg/ml ebenfalls mit einem deutlichen Abfall der Zellviabilität, diese Ergebnisse waren jedoch nicht statistisch signifikant. Die Zelllinie Caco-2 zeigte sich von den Graphen Nanopartikeln unbeeindruckt, es kam zu keiner statistisch signifikanten Veränderung der Zellviabilität. Siliciumdioxid Nanopartikel bewirkten ab einer Konzentration von 1 mg/ml einen statistisch signifikanten Abfall der Zellviabilität bei den Zelllinien cerebEND, HEK-293 und H441. HepG2 Zellen zeigten bei 1 mg/ml Siliciumdioxid einen deutlichen aber statistisch nicht signifikanten Abfall der Zellviabilität. Die Zelllinie Caco-2 erwies sich auch bei Siliciumdioxid Nanopartikel als äußerst robust und zeigte keine statistisch signifikanten Veränderungen der Zellviabilität. Messungen der Zellviabilität auf Grundlage von Adsorptionsmessung, wie beim EZ4U-Test, hatten sich als ungeeignet erwiesen, da die Eigenfarbe der Nanopartikel Graphen und Siliciumdioxid mit dieser Messung interferierte. Zudem wurde geprüft, ob die bei einem Teil der Zelllinien eingetretene toxische Wirkung der Nanopartikel ab einer Konzentration von 1 mg/ml durch Nekrose oder durch Apoptose zustande kam. Die Polymerasekettenreaktion zeigte mit einer einzigen Ausnahme keine statistisch signifikante Erhöhung der Genexpression für Bax und Caspase-3 und gab somit auch keine Hinweise auf die Einleitung einer Apoptose. Im Western Blot zeigte sich keine statistisch signifikante Erhöhung der Proteinexpression von Bax und Caspase-3. Zudem konnte im Western Blot auch keine aktivierte Caspase-3 nachgewiesen werden. Somit lagen auf Grundlage von Polymerasekettenreaktion und Western Blot keine Hinweise auf das Eintreten einer Apoptose vor. Die toxische Wirkung der Nanopartikel Graphen und Siliciumdioxid, die bei einem Teil der Zelllinien ab einer Konzentration von 1 mg/ml nachgewiesen werden konnte, beruhte demnach auf Nekrose. / Graphene and silicon dioxide nanoparticles are of interest as drug carriers for controlled drug delivery systems. This thesis is an evaluation of the toxic properties of the nanoparticles Graphene and Silicon dioxide based on tests on cell culture. The Graphene nanoplatelets were 6 to 8 nm thick and 15 µm wide. The Silicon dioxide nanoparticles were spherical and porous with a particle size of 5 to 20 nm. The dose dependent toxicity (concentrations 0,01 mg/ml, 0,1 mg/ml und 1 mg/ml, incubation over 24 hours) was tested on 5 different cell lines (cerebEND, Caco-2, Hep G2, HEK-293, H441). I used cell viability test (CellTiter-Glo Assay, EZ4U-test). In addition, I used PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) and western blot to detect the apoptosis markers Bax and Caspase-3, to see if the nanoparticles cause an apoptosis or a necrosis. For investigating the cell viability, I used the CellTiter-Glo Assay. Graphene nanoplatelets showed from a concentration of 1 mg/ml for the cell lines HEK-293 und H441 a statistically significant decrease of cell viability. CerebEND and Hep G2 cells reacted on Graphene nanoplatelets from a concentration of 1 mg/ml with a clearly decrease in cell viability, but these results were not statistically significant. The cell line Coco-2 showed no decrease in cell viability after the incubation with Graphene nanoplatelets. Silicon dioxide nanoparticles showed from a concentration of 1 mg/ml a statistic significant decrease of cell viability in the cell lines cerebEND, HEK-293 and H441. The Hep G2 cells showed a decrease in cell viability as well, but the results were not statistically significant. The cell line Caco-2 showed no decrease in cell viability after the incubation with Silicon dioxide nanoparticles. Cell viability tests based on the messurement of adsorption like the EZ4U-test, proved not suitable for this setting, because the own color of the nanoparticles interfered with the measurement. In addition, I tested if the nanoparticles caused an apoptosis or a necrosis. The PCR showed with one exception no statistically significant increase in the gene expression of Bax and Caspase-3 and therefore no proof of apoptosis. The western blot showed no statistically significant increase in the protein expression of Bax and Caspase-3. And it detected no activated Caspase-3. There was based on PCR and western blot no sign for the cells to enter in apoptosis. The toxic properties of the nanoparticles Graphene and Silicon dioxide, that was shown in a part of the cell lines from a concentration of 1 mg/ml, was therefore based on necrosis.

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We develop biohybrid magnetic microrobots by electrostatic self-assembly of nonmotile sperm cells and magnetic nanoparticles. Incorporating a biological entity into microrobots entails many functional advantages beyond shape templating, such as the facile uptake of chemotherapeutic agents to achieve targeted drug delivery. We present a single-step electrostatic self-assembly technique to fabricate IRONSperms, soft magnetic microswimmers that emulate the motion of motile sperm cells. Our experiments and theoretical predictions show that the swimming speed of IRONSperms exceeds 0.2 body length/s (6.8 ± 4.1 µm/s) at an actuation frequency of 8 Hz and precision angle of 45°. We demonstrate that the nanoparticle coating increases the acoustic impedance of the sperm cells and enables localization of clusters of IRONSperm using ultrasound feedback. We also confirm the biocompatibility and drug loading ability of these microrobots, and their promise as biocompatible, controllable, and detectable biohybrid tools for in vivo targeted therapy.

Systemic chemotherapy remains the backbone of many cancer treatments. Due to its untargeted nature and the severe side effects it can cause, numerous nanomedicine approaches have been developed to overcome these issues. However, targeted delivery of therapeutics remains challenging. Engineering microrobots is increasingly receiving attention in this regard. Their functionalities, particularly their motility, allow microrobots to penetrate tissues and reach cancers more efficiently. Here, we highlight how different microrobots, ranging from tailor-made motile bacteria and tiny bubble-propelled microengines to hybrid spermbots, can be engineered to integrate sophisticated features optimised for precision-targeting of a wide range of cancers. Towards this, we highlight the importance of integrating clinicians, the public and cancer patients early on in the development of these novel technologies.