Mark Banaszak Holl: The Janus Face of Nanotechnology

Abstract

Nanoparticles show great promise for a wide variety of applications including catalysis, coatings, sensors, and drug delivery.  However, as with the development of any new technology, we must consider the general impact that the nanoparticles may have outside of their intended applications.  As part of our work on the development of nanoparticles for drug delivery, we have explored the interactions of nanoparticles with biological membranes.  These studies are important in two ways.  First, they inform our decisions regarding selection of nanoparticle properties to optimize selective drug delivery.  Second, they provide insight into the general interactions of nanoparticle with biological membranes.  Our initial observations indicate that non-cytotoxic concentrations nanoparticles can induce the formation of nanoscale holes in biological membranes and lead to significant membrane permeability.  Higher concentrations of nanoparticles can completely destroy membranes and cause cell death.  The talk will summarize the findings for targeted drug delivery and draw connections between the in vivo selectivity observed and the differential behavior of functionalized nanoparticles in terms of cell membrane interactions.  The broader implications of the permeabilizations of cell membranes via the formation of nanoscale holes will also be addressed.  An introduction to this work cna be found in Accounts of Chemical Research 2007, 40, 335.