Nanoscale gene therapy systems made of carbon nanotubes, viral nanoparticles and liposomes

COLL 50

Kostas Kostarelos, kostas.kostarelos@pharmacy.ac.uk, Centre for Drug Delivery Research, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
Recent efforts from our group to transform different types of nanomaterials as viable tools for gene delivery will be presented. The first and most exploratory nanomaterial studied is the carbon nanotube (CNT). CNT constitute a novel class of fullerene-based nanomaterials with yet unproven utilization in biomedical applications. Biomedical applications of carbon nanotubes that have been explored include delivery of genes, drugs, and antigens. The second type of nanomaterial to be presented is an adenovirus (Ad). Ad is a proteinaceous nanoparticle, even though rarely considered that way, as well as one of the most common types of viral gene therapy vector. The Ad nanoparticle has a more proven pharmacological profile than CNT, mainly from gene therapy clinical trials using Ad vectors. Ad surface engineering using different lipid molecules can lead to alterations of the nanoparticle structural characteristics which translate to modifications in the virus pharmacological and biological activity profile.
 

Advances in Nanomedicine
8:30 AM-12:20 PM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Sir Francis Drake -- Monterey/Cypress Rooms, Oral

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006