IDENTIFICATION OF EPITHELIAL OVARIAN TUMOR SPECIFIC APTAMERS THAT BIND AND INTERNALIZE INTO TARGET CELLS

1 online resource (253 pages) : PDF

2015

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

New clinical tools that aid in the early diagnosis of ovarian malignancies will significantly help reduce mortality and improve current long-term survival rates. The objective of the work presented here was to identify ovarian tumor specific single stranded DNA probes termed aptamers that bind to cell surface structures with high affinity and specificity. First I identified aptamers using a random screening protocol known as Cell-SELEX that bind and internalize to target cells. All aptamers identified demonstrate unique binding kinetics and internalized by the endocytic pathway. Next I assessed the internalization kinetics of identified aptamers when used to label the surface of polymeric organic nanoparticles. I was able to demonstrate that the high specificity exhibited by aptamers promotes localization and uptake of tethered nanoparticles by specific cell populations. Finally a preliminary pilot study looking at the in vivo stability of aptamers and their ability to promote retention and honing of nanoparticles at tumors was conducted. The experiments described here demonstrate the effective combinatorial use of aptamer and nanoparticle technologies for the direct targeting of tumor cell populations.

doctoral dissertations

Chemistry
Biology

Ph.D.

Aptamers
Cell-Selex
Nanoparticles
Ovarian Cancer
Targeted-Delivery
Targeted-Drug Therapy

Biology

Richardson, Christine

Schrum, Laura
Nelson, Daniel
Dreau, Didier
Fodor, Anthony

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For additional information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/.

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Benedetto_uncc_0694D_10790

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1483