Optimization of PAMAM-gold nanoparticle conjugation for gene therapy

Optimization of PAMAM-gold nanoparticle conjugation for gene therapy.

The development of efficient and biocompatible non-viral vectors for gene therapy remains a great challenge, and exploiting the properties of both nanoparticle carriers and cationic polymers is an attractive approach. In this work, we have developed gold nanoparticle (AuNP) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) conjugates for use as non-viral transfection agents. AuPAMAM conjugates were prepared by crosslinki...

Effect of Gold Nanoparticle Conjugation on Peptide Dynamics and Structure

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to characterize the structure and dynamics for several peptides and the effect of conjugating them to a gold nanoparticle. Peptide structure and dynamics were compared for two cases: unbound peptides in water, and peptides bound to the gold nanoparticle surface in water. The results show that conjugating the peptides to the gold nanoparticle usually decr...

Optimization of gold nanoparticle photoluminescence by alkanethiolation.

Surface thiolation affects the size of gold nanoparticles and the presence of visible luminescence under UV stimulation. We explored these phenomena by analysing alkanethiolate coatings with different carbon chain lengths, from 3-mercaptopropionic acid to 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid, synthesized by intense X-ray irradiation. Photoluminescence is present for the smallest nanoparticles, but its ...

The ligand nanoparticle conjugation approach for targeted cancer therapy.

Cancer therapy often requires frequent and high drug dosing. Yet, despite the significant progress in cancer research and the wide versatility of potent available drugs, treatment efficacy is still hurdled and often failed by the lack of pharmaco-selectivity to diseased cells, indiscriminate drug toxicities and poor patient compliance. Thus, innovative pharmaceutical solutions are needed to eff...

Optimization of Combined Radiation and Gold Nanoparticle Hyperthermia Therapy for Treating Cutaneous Squamous Carcinoma