Novel family of cellulose acetate fluorescent nanomaterials for bioimaging applications

这个项目描述了一种使用醋酸纤维素设计和制造超明亮荧光纳米颗粒的方法，醋酸纤维是FDA批准的一种人类使用的材料。这项拟议的工作将填补利用斑马鱼异种移植模型检测癌症的新型纳米颗粒在稳定性、功能性和有效性方面的知识空白。这将产生广泛的社会影响，并具有很高的临床转化潜力。研究人员将开发一种新的醋酸纤维素(CA)荧光纳米材料家族，这种材料将具有生物兼容性，成本更低，并且比量子点更亮，用于体内测试，如早期癌症检测。虽然CA被广泛应用于食品和医疗行业，但目前只开发出了不利于体内应用的大尺寸纳米材料，因为它们在体内被迅速清除。研究人员将开发直径小于100纳米的CA纳米颗粒。这些颗粒将包裹多种类型的染料，这些染料将在不同的化学环境处理下具有超亮、光稳定和化学稳定性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project describes a methodology to design and manufacture ultra-bright fluorescent nanoparticles using cellulose acetate, an FDA-approved material for human use. The proposed work will fill the knowledge gaps in the stability, functionality, and efficacy of the novel nanoparticles for cancer detection using zebrafish xenograft models. This has a broad societal impact with a high translational potential to clinics.The investigator will develop a new family of cellulose acetate (CA) fluorescent nanomaterials that will be biocompatible, less expensive, and brighter than quantum dots for in vivo testing such as early cancer detection. Although CA is widely used in the food and medical industry, only large nanomaterials have been developed which are not good for in vivo applications as they are cleared rapidly from the body. The investigator will develop CA nanoparticles with diameters less than 100 nm. The particles will encapsulate multiple classes of dyes that will be ultrabright, photostable, and chemically stable at different chemical environment treatments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.