Electrical Release of Magnetic Nanoparticles from Liposomes

Student: Craig Levy
Department: Physics
Advisor: Sri Sridhar

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles are of interest for various biomedical applications, including cancer treatment. Liposomes, small spheres composed of lipid bilayers, are already used to encapsulate and release drugs. It may be possible to use these liposomes to encapsulate nanoparticles and then release them at specific, targeted sites in the body (i.e. tumor sites). My focus is on the possibility of using electric fields to trigger poration or otherwise rupture these “magnetic liposomes” and release the magnetic nanoparticles from within.