By

Professor Michael J. Sailor (HMC '83)

University of California, San Diego

From: 11:00 AM To: 12:00 PM

On

Thursday, Feb 3, 2011

At

Keck Science Center, Burns Lecture Hall

Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering

Abstract: The long-term fate of therapeutic or diagnostic nanoparticles in vivo is still a very open question. On the one hand, a primary design goal is to increase residence time in vivo such that the nanoparticle can attach to the diseased tissue of interest (such as a tumor). On the other hand, the nanosystem must be eliminated from the body once it has performed its function, to avoid the possibility of long-term side effects. A solution to these seemingly conflicting goals is to incorporate a non-toxic degradation mechanism into the nanosystem. This presentation will discuss the synthesis and properties of microparticles and nanoparticles based on porous silicon. The use of the photoluminescence, magnetism, and reflective optical response of these materials for in-vitro and in-vivo sensing and drug delivery will be highlighted, with an emphasis on biodegradability.

FMI: Contact Velda Ross