Multi-mode Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Nanoparticle Stability

在化学系化学测量和成像项目的支持下，马萨诸塞州大学的Vachet和Rotello教授及其团队将开发一种新的基于质谱的成像方法来跟踪生物样品中的纳米材料。纳米颗粒越来越多地用于包括药物递送、传感、成像和治疗的应用中。在所有情况下，需要具有所需生物稳定性的纳米颗粒。相反，商业产品中纳米材料含量的增加引起了人们对纳米材料的环境和生物归宿的担忧。这些由Vachet和Rotello开发的新方法将为如何设计具有所需稳定性的纳米颗粒提供定量见解，从药物输送中使用的半稳定材料到商业产品中所需的更稳定材料。除了设想的科学和社会影响外，PI还建议通过国家纳米制造网络（NNN）在纳米制造研究，开发和教育界广泛传播所学知识，并为本科生和研究生提供研究机会，包括那些代表性不足的少数群体。拟议工作的智力价值在于开发一种双模式成像方法，纳米颗粒基于它们的核心材料和它们的官能化单层。具体来说，Vachet和Rotello将使用激光解吸/电离（LDI）MS根据附着在金核心上的单层分子来追踪组织中的纳米颗粒，并使用激光烧蚀（LA）感应耦合等离子体（ICP）MS成像来特定地点监测纳米颗粒在生物系统中保持完整的程度。然后，Vachet和Rotello将使用这种新的组合成像方法来研究纳米颗粒表面化学，纳米颗粒尺寸和组织生物化学对静脉内（IV）注射这些NPs后小鼠组织和器官中纳米颗粒稳定性的影响。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Vachet and Rotello and their groups at University of Massachusetts, Amherst will develop a new mass spectrometry-based imaging approach to track nanomaterials in biological samples. Nanoparticles are increasingly used in applications that include drug delivery, sensing, imaging and therapy. In all cases, nanoparticles with the desired biological stability are required. Conversely, the increased presence of nanomaterials in commercial products raises concerns over the environmental and biological fate of nanomaterials. These new methods to be developed by Vachet and Rotello will provide quantitative insight into how to design nanoparticles of desired stability, from semi-stable materials used in drug delivery to much more stable materials that are required in commercial products. In addition to the envisioned scientific and societal impacts, the PIs propose to disseminate learned knowledge broadly through the National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) among the nanomanufacturing research, development and education community, as well as provide research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students, including those from underrepresented minority groups.The intellectual merits of the proposed work lay in the development a dual mode imaging approach that can track nanoparticles based on both their core material and their functionalized monolayers. Specifically, Vachet and Rotello will use laser desorption/ionization (LDI) MS to track nanoparticles in tissues according to the monolayer molecules attached to the gold core and laser ablation (LA) inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) MS imaging to site-specifically monitor the extent to which nanoparticles stay still intact in biological systems. Vachet and Rotello will then use this new combined imaging approach to study the effect of nanoparticle surface chemistry, nanoparticle size, and tissue biochemistry on nanoparticle stability in tissues and organs from mice after intravenous (IV) injection of these NPs.