Event
ChBE Seminar Series: Zhihong Nie
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Bldg.
Professor Sheryl Ehrman
ehrman@umd.edu
Inorganic Virus: Biomimetic Organic/Inorganic Hybrids for Bioimaging and Drug Delivery
Zhihong Nie
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Maryland, College Park
Nanomaterials promise to revolutionize healthcare and medicine by offering a new generation of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Both organic and inorganic nanoparticles have been extensively explored as drug delivery vehicles to develop highly selective and effective therapeutics and diagnostics. The incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles into organic assemblies can endow the system with new advanced functionalities (e.g. plasmonic and magnetic properties), while preserving the well-established properties of the organic components. Inspired by self-assembly in nature, we have been devoted to design synthetic polymer-inorganic hybrid compartments that mimic viral capsids from the aspects of such as surface, topography, and mechanical properties. These nanostructures may find applications in biological imaging, controlled drug/gene release, biosensors, and catalysis. This talk will present the organization of nanoparticles into a diverse range of complex hierarchical nanostructures, and the demonstration of their biomedical applications including remote-controlled release, photothermal/photodynamic therapy, and photothermal/photoacoustic imaging, and so on.
