Developing superparamagnetic nanoparticle (SPION) systems with tunable colloidal stability and magnetic properties

Abstract

SPIONs have unique material properties: ultra-small size and high magnetic susceptibility. These properties give SPIONs advantages to be used in a wide range of applications such as NMR/MRI contrast agents, cancer hyperthermia therapy, and cell- targeted and magnetically-triggered intracellular uptake. However, research has found that it is challenging to develop a SPION system that has controllable colloidal stability. This thesis endeavored to develop a SPION surface coating that allowed creation of a SPION system with known surface properties, hence enabling the study of its colloidal stability with a combination of computational and experimental methods. With the knowledge of colloidal behavior of nanoparticles, this thesis further explored the magnetic properties of SPIONs by designing lipid nanoparticles encapsulating (LNPs) that target and isolate a rare type of immune cell.