Dissertation
Nanomaterials for the detection and treatment of cancer
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2020
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007193
Abstract
It is well known that reducing materials to the nanoscale imparts distinct physicochemical properties which can be exploited to solve many of society’s most complex problems. Solubility of drugs can be greatly increased by reducing the size of individual crystals to the nanoscale, optical absorption of light by solar cells can be increased by introducing nanostructures on its surface, uptake of immunologically active compounds can be increased by loading them into nanoparticles. These are just a few examples of the potential nanomaterials possess to solve issues plaguing different fields of research. The work presented in this dissertation demonstrates how nanomaterials can be used to improve the detection and treatment of cancer.
Conventional biosensors currently fall into two main categories: (1) large instruments that are expensive, slow, and accurate or (2) low cost, mass-assembled, and lower sensitivity devices. In an effort to develop a biosensor that is both accurate, fast and cost effective, a silicon nanowire based biosensor was fabricated using cost effective laboratory techniques and demonstrated that surface modifying these biosensors allowed it to bind to and detect cancer antigens. This work demonstrates that a silicon nanowire-based biosensor can be made using cost effective processes to detect cancer antigens.
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment options especially for late stage cancer patients with increased efficacy and reduced side effects. Treatment modalities such as checkpoint inhibitor therapy has been approved for treatment of numerous cancers and has demonstrated complete remission in some cases. However, it is only effective in a subset of patients usually because of a lack of tumor specific T cells. Cancer vaccines possess the inherent ability to circumvent this and other issues with other cancer immunotherapy modalities however cancer vaccines have fallen behind other treatment options. Locally administering adjuvants have been shown to increase the efficacy of cancer vaccines and promote in-situ immunization within the tumor. Additionally, formulating adjuvants in nanoparticles protects them from premature degradation, improves biodistribution and effectiveness, and enhances uptake. To this end, research present here demonstrates that administration of nanoparticlate adjuvant formulations at the site of the tumor increase the efficacy of an adenovirus cancer vaccine.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Nanomaterials for the detection and treatment of cancer
- Creators
- Rasheid Smith
- Contributors
- Aliasger Salem (Advisor)Lewis Stevens (Committee Member)Fatima Toor (Committee Member)Reza Nejadnik (Committee Member)Jonathan Doorn (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Pharmacy
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2020
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007193
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xii, 160 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2020 Rasheid Smith
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 12/03/2020
- Date approved
- 06/30/2023
- Description illustrations
- Illustrations, tables, graphs, charts
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-160).
- Academic Unit
- Pharmacy; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984425315602771
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