Development of dynamic hydrogel systems to tune local microenvironement in three dimensional cell culture system

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The focus of my research was the development of nanoparticle systems that could be introduced into commercial hydrogels to tune their properties. One type of nanoparticle that I worked with are fluorescent quantum dots. To use these particles in hydrogel systems, it is essential to optimize their stability and optical properties in physiologically relevant conditions. I conducted a fundamental study, showing how previously published articles did not rigorously investigate the surface chemistry of these particles. The results of this investigation were published in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials and will be presented to a conference in June 2023.Another nanoparticle system that I continued developing was based on gold nanorods and DNA. Gold nanorods can very efficiently generate heat when irradiated by a red laser, and the resulting heat is transferred to the surrounding environment. When double strands of DNA are immobilized on the rods’ surface, the heat causes DNA melting and subsequent release of one strand into the surrounding media. This mechanism was confirmed using fluorophore-labelled DNA, and the plan was to use a laser for the targeted release of a growth factor in 3D cultures of endothelial cells. Endothelial cells spheroids were produced and used in a sprouting assay to test the release of growth factor from the Gold-DNA particles. More tests will be required to fully characterize the response of this system to laser irradiation and the resulting morphological changes on the endothelial cells.