Characterizing Nanoparticle Dynamics in Biorelevant Materials to Predict Epithelial Transport of Orally Administered Medications

This project aims to determine the properties controlling nanoparticle penetration and transport through synthetic porcine gastric mucin and to understand the resulting dynamics within these biomimetic tissue analogues. From this information, nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems can be developed and implemented into the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting a rapidly diversifying therapeutic portfolio. To address this challenge, I will investigate the surface charge of both carboxyl and amine-terminated nanoparticles and identify correlations between nanoparticle charge and mucus binding affinity. To quantify the extent of mucus binding, particle tracking and microrheological measurements will be conducted in the tissue analogs, allowing for the determination of sub/super diffusive nanoparticle movement. Conducting microrheological measurements in mucin allows for a more accurate model of the conditions that a drug-encapsulated nanoparticle would encounter once it reaches the duodenum and jejunum, the upper portions of the small intestine, where most drug uptake occurs. It is promising that this biomimetic system will be able to accurately model nanoparticle penetration and paracellular transport as it occurs in biological systems.