NANO meets BIO: Understanding the Mechanisms of Immune Recognition of Engineered Nanomedicines
Dmitri Simberg, Ph.D.
UC San Diego, Moores Cancer Center
Abstract:
Scavenger receptors (SRs) are a broad group of phagocytic receptors that are responsible for the elimination of polyanionic pathogens, abnormal lipoproteins and apoptotic cells. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) is an important magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent by itself and as a component of multifunctional nanoparticles for imaging and treatment. Using receptor screening approach, we identified numerous SRs that recognize SPIO and mediate nanoparticle uptake by macrophage cells. Modeling of nanoparticle-receptor interaction and wet lab experiments were used to uncover the role of nanoparticle physicochemical properties in the recognition and uptake. Our data provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of recognition of nanoparticle surface by immune receptors and builds a foundation for rational design of nanomedicines.
Biosketch:
Dr. Dmitri Simberg received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel. His thesis was on the mechanisms of cationic liposome-mediated transfection in vitro and in vivo. He then moved to the US as a postdoc at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, where he worked on iron oxide nanoparticle targeting using clotting binding peptides. After that he did another brief postdoc in the Department of Radiology, UC San Diego, where he worked on cell targeting with microbubbles. Dr. Simberg then took a position of Assistant Project Scientist at Moores Cancer Center UCSD where he is working on mechanisms of bio-nano interactions and molecular diagnostics of cancers