Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence

描述（由申请人提供）：卡罗莱纳州癌症纳米技术卓越中心（C-CCNE）将把北卡罗来纳大学在纳米粒子工程方面的最新开创性突破与Lineberger癌症中心在癌症理解/治疗方面的世界级卓越成果结合起来，为癌症的诊断和治疗提供治疗、检测和显像剂。北卡罗来纳大学的物理科学家们最近在压印光刻（一种适应微电子工业的新兴技术）材料方面取得了突破性进展，该技术为直接制造和收获单分散、形状特定的纳米生物材料提供了一种极其通用和灵活的方法。该方法被称为非润湿模板中的颗粒复制或PRINT，允许制造单分散颗粒，同时控制结构（即形状、大小、组成）和功能（即货物、表面结构）。与其他颗粒制造技术不同，PRINT技术非常精细和通用，足以与各种重要的下一代癌症治疗、检测和成像剂兼容，包括各种载体（例如DNA、蛋白质、化疗药物、生物传感器染料、放射标记物、造影剂）、靶向配体（例如抗体、细胞靶向肽）和功能基质材料（例如生物可吸收聚合物、刺激反应基质等）。在C-CCNE中，Lineberger癌症中心和医学院和药学院的研究人员将使用专门设计的PRINT颗粒来达到癌症预防，检测，诊断和治疗的新认识和疗法。C-CCNE将汇集研究人员和临床医生不仅在UNC，而且在国内和国际上，以实现到2015年消除癌症的痛苦和死亡的挑战目标。这将通过建立一个我们称之为粒子铸造厂的国家NCI资产来实现。粒子铸造厂将是北卡罗来纳大学癌症纳米技术卓越中心这个项目的成果之一。粒子铸造厂将成为世界各地研究人员获得北卡罗来纳大学突破性PRINT技术的门户，该技术用于制造用于研究和评估的“智能”功能粒子。因此，PRINT是一项重大的科学和技术突破，它将允许制造迄今为止无法获得的纳米生物材料，这些材料将彻底改变和加速我们对癌症的转化理解、检测和治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (C-CCNE) will bring together recent pioneering breakthroughs at UNC in nano-particle engineering with the world class excellence in the understanding/treatment of cancer in the Lineberger Cancer Center for the delivery of therapeutic, detection and imaging agents for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Physical scientists at UNC have pioneered a recent breakthrough in the materials useful for imprint lithography-an emerging technology adapted from the microelectronics industry-that enables an extremely versatile and flexible method for the direct fabrication and harvesting of monodisperse, shape-specific nano-biomaterials. The method, referred to as Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates, or PRINT, allows for the fabrication of monodisperse particles with simultaneous control over structure (i.e. shape, size, composition) and function (i.e. cargo, surface structure). Unlike other particle fabrication techniques, PRINT is delicate and general enough to be compatible with a variety of important next-generation cancer therapeutic, detection and imaging agents, including various cargos (e.g. DNA, proteins, chemotherapy drugs, biosensor dyes, radio-markers, contrast agents), targeting ligands (e.g. antibodies, cell targeting peptides) and functional matrix materials (e.g. bioabsorbable polymers, stimuli responsive matrices, etc). Within the C-CCNE, researchers in the Lineberger Cancer Center and the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy will use specially designed PRINT particles to reach new understandings and therapies in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment. The C-CCNE will bring together researchers and clinicians not only at UNC but nationally and internationally to meet the Challenge Goal of eliminating the suffering and death from cancer by 2015. This will be accomplished by establishing a national NCI asset we refer to as the PARTICLE FOUNDRY. The PARTICLE FOUNDRY will be one of the outcomes of this project within the Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at UNC. The PARTICLE FOUNDRY will be the portal for researchers around the world to gain access to UNC's breakthrough PRINT technology for the fabrication of "smart" functional particles for their studies and evaluations. As such, PRINT is a significant scientific and technological breakthrough which will allow the fabrication of heretofore inaccessible populations of nano-biomaterials which are poised to revolutionize and accelerate our translational understanding, detection and treatment of cancer.