Nanoparticles, which are popular candidates for ferrying drugs to target locations in the human body, have been shown to evade the immune system and infiltrate tissues and cells. This makes them effective in delivering medication for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
But, Michigan Engineering Professor Lola Eniola-Adefeso and her team has discovered they’re no good at leaving the bloodstream, getting trapped instead by red blood cells. To combat that, researchers are exploring the possibility of different shapes for these nanoparticles, to help them more effectively navigate to their targets.
ABOUT THE PROFESSOR: Lola Eniola-Adefeso is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Her research at the Cell Adhesion and Drug Delivery Lab is focused on cell adhesion and drug delivery; specifically, the group’s overall objective is to use knowledge of the cellular inflammatory response and blood flow hemodynamics to design bio-functionalized particles for targeted drug delivery and imaging.
