Novel Multilayered Magnetoplasmonic Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications
Bell, Charleson Sherard
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2015-11-27
Abstract
With the advent of bionanotechnology, bioengineers utilize nanoscale tools to better characterize and modify biological processes in an effort to enhance medical applications. Most of these applications are single-purpose and utilize only a single property of the biofunctionalized nanomaterial. This work is focused on improvements in nanomaterial design, through variation in fabrication technique, that allow multiple characteristics and properties to be combined into a single, theranostic, nanoscale entity. Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a bacterial species of interest due to its significant virulence and enhanced persistence in combat and healthcare environments. Acinetobacter species cause a multitude of ailments which contribute to the incidence of bloodstream infections. The mortality rate associated with A. baumannii bacteremia is 52%. Treatment options are increasingly limited due to the rapid acquisition of multi-drug resistance to the few antibiotics readily available. Due to this, the development of a nanotechnology-mediated adjuvant treatment strategy for A. baumannii is paramount. As outlined in the chapters of this dissertation, novel, multilayered, magneto-metallodielectric multistrata nanoparticles which possess theranostic characteristics were developed (Chapter II). Thereafter, a synthesis strategy was implemented in order to enhance the magnetic properties of the composite material while decreasing the synthesis duration such that freshly synthesized materials could be rapidly utilized in a biological application (Chapter III). The central hypothesis of this dissertation was confirmed using superparamagnetic FeOx/Au core/shell nanoparticles that were used to magnetically capture, visualize and separate Acinetobacter baumannii using an antibiotic, polymyxin E, as the microbial targeting ligand (Chapter IV). Further development of core/shell nanotechnology will bolster the technological impact of biomedical applications thus improving the way we deliver medical care to patients across the globe and beyond.