Continuous Flow Microfluidic Devices for High-Throughput Synthesis and Formulation of Multifunctional Nano-systems for Enhanced Drug Targeting and Imaging

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The use of nanoparticles for therapy and imaging holds tremendous promise in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine. However, their translation into the clinic has been slow because it remains difficult to produce nanoparticles that are consistent 'batch-to-batch' and in sufficient quantities for clinical research. Moreover, platforms for rapid screening of nanoparticles are still lacking. Therefore, there is a need for improved preparation methods that are capable of yielding high quality nanoparticles of uniform size, geometry and stoichiometry. Advancements in the fields of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies now provide unique opportunities for the implementation of nanomaterial production processes. They offer a range of advantages compared to conventional batch reactors, including improved controllability and uniformity of nanomaterial characteristics and high throughput production. They also allow for one-step loading of biologically active molecules (drugs, proteins, genes, enzymes, etc.), independent of their chemical, hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature. In addition, fast mixing achieved within microchannels and the predictability of laminar flow conditions can be leveraged to investigate nanomaterial formation dynamics. To take advantage of our achievements in the development of nanoparticle drug delivery and imaging systems, and our acquired expertise in the fabrication of microfluidic (MF) devices, the overarching goal of our research in nanoparticle for delivery and imaging is to develop microfluidic platforms for “one-step” synthesis and preparation of highly complex and tuned multifunctional nanosystems while investigating cell-nanoparticle interactions on the same platform. During this 5 year discovery proposal, we particularly focus on 1) MF-assisted LbL self-assembly of chitosan-based NPs, 2) MF-assisted synthesis of hybrid and highly potent lipid NPs, 3) MF chip for synthesis of size-tunable multicomponent polymeric-lipid NPs and 4) MF-assisted synthesis of multi-featured Janus NPs, all for controlled release and in vitro imaging. To reach this goal, the sub-objectives of this proposal are: -) Design and fabrication of highly innovative 3D multilayer MF platform according to the required features for the specific NPs through simulation and using advanced microfabrication technology respectively; -) MF-assisted synthesis of aforementioned NPs; -) Physicochemical and biological characterization of NPs; and -) Investigation of MF-assisted NPs–cell interactions as a function of NPs characteristics and proof-of-concept study towards their intended use. We believe that microfluidic-enabled multifunctional nanoparticles could resolve multiple, prevalent issues in disease monitoring at an early stage with high-throughput bioassays and therapeutic delivery if persistent effort is devoted to this field of research.**