(56f) Nanoparticle Supported Lipid Bilayers for Drug Delivery

The drug delivery field has long pursued the use of individual nanoparticle systems in the treatment of terminal illnesses. Significant success has been achieved with liposomal formulations of traditional therapeutics. Solid nanoparticles such as silica, gold and iron oxide have shown mild clinical success. Both of these types of nanoparticle systems, liposomes and solid nanoparticles, have many of their own advantages and disadvantages. Liposomes are plagued by their inability to provide sustained release of therapeutics but are lauded for their long circulation half-lives and biocompatibility. Solid nanoparticles have demonstrated an ability to provide tailorable drug release profiles but typically have low circulation half-lives. This work focuses on the production of a composite particle that encompasses the advantageous properties of both traditional nanoparticle systems while simultaneously addressing their pitfalls.

Supported lipid bilayers have been extensively explored on two-dimensional planar surfaces. Recent advances have enabled the production of supported bilayers on nanoparticle surfaces. These membranes are often the most basic of supported membrane types, which involve fusion of the membrane with the surface of the nanoparticle. This type of supported membrane is simplistic and lacks some of the fundamental properties of liposomes, such as a fluid membrane, that have been implicated in their clinical success. This work aims to produce a nanoparticle supported membrane that retains the unique characteristics of liposomes that make it one of the most highly utilized drug delivery systems. A methodology to achieve this goal has been investigated and preliminary results suggest a successful approach has been established. Material synthesis, conjugation and characterization techniques have been developed. This work lays the foundation for producing novel lipid-nanoparticle composites that have numerous applications in drug delivery.