Can Controlled Nanoparticles be used in Biological Systems?

“Our controlled particles can collect data from within an organism without the need for additional complex devices such as ultrasensitive spectral sensors,” Valentin Milichko

Biocompatible nanoparticles with controllable properties that will benefit the development of non-invasive biosensors, signal systems and non-toxic dyes have been produced by scientists at ITMO University, St Petersburg.

“The nanoparticles are composed of silicon cores and biopolymer shells. The substances that make up the shells possess different hydrophobic/hydrophilic qualities, ie, the way in which their molecules react to water. We were able to use that to make the particles contract or expand depending on external factors,” explained Anna Nikitina a staff member at ITMO’s Infochemistry Scientific Center.

Colour change monitors particles in real time

As well as changing shape the nanoparticles change colour under thermal influences such as irradiation by light, enabling their use in non-invasive local temperature measurements in biological tissues, or to design sensor systems capable of analysing internal processes in living organisms.

“Our controlled particles can collect data from within an organism without the need for additional complex devices such as ultrasensitive spectral sensors. A simple change in colour allows us to easily monitor what’s happening to the particle in real time. The technology is multi-use, too: each particle can be turned on and off several times,” said Valentin Milichko, a staff member at ITMO University’s School of Physics and Engineering.

During the past three years the researcher team has experimented with various sizes and spatial characteristics of the nanoparticles, as well as searched for polymers that would exhibit the desired performance. For now, the systems’ efficiency has been confirmed only in laboratory conditions. The next step in the study will be in vitro testing they added.

The research was published in Angewandte Chemie

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