SBIR TOPIC 252 - FUNCTIONALIZED BIMAGNETIC CORE/SHELL FE/FE3O4 STEALTH NANOPARTIC

Early diagnosis and early treatment of cancer greatly improve the likelihood of long-term survival and health. Chemical structures that are selectively taken by cancerous tissue can be used to pull diagnostic and therapeutic moieties to cancerous tissue. Appropriately sized iron and/or iron oxide nanoparticles are effective for both diagnosis (via magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) and therapy (by hyperthermal methods). But they tend to clump into ineffective sizes, and they distribute among healthy tissue, making them of little value for diagnosis or treatment. NanoScale Corporation, with its partners at Kansas State University, propose synthesis of "stealth" Fe/Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles that are encapsulated, to prevent agglomeration, and that contain carefully selected functional groups that will localize in cancer tissues. The team will evaluate these stealth nanoparticles for physical properties such as MRI relaxivity and hyperthermal potential, and for adhesion to cancer cells. Finally, in vivo experiments with tumor-bearing mice will confirm the feasibility of stealth Fe/Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles for cancer diagnosis and treatment. NanoScale has extensive experience in synthesis, manufacture, and characterization of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. Prof. Stefan Bossman is internationally recognized for his accomplishments in linking diagnostic and therapeutic groups to bioactive structures.