Achievement

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, Prof. Vincent Rotello with IGERT student Brian Creran has developed a dendrimer-nanoparticle hybrid scaffold based on robust dithiocarbamate formation for utilization in drug delivery systems. The composite films indicate intriguing incorporation features for various drug molecules and provide well-controlled and sustained drug release in biological systems. Their payload properties and release behaviors can be easily tuned by altering the dendrimer generation and the size of gold nanoparticles. The integration of the highly permeable nature of dendrimers with smart gold nanoparticles which are non-toxic and easily modifiable provides an attractive delivery platform for various biomedical surfaces and coatings. This work was published in the February 2010 issue of ACS Applied Material Interfaces and featured on the cover of that issue (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2010, 2, 795-799).