Epidermal growth factor receptor targeted nuclear delivery and high-resolution whole cell X-ray imaging of Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles in cancer cells.

Sequestration within the cytoplasm often limits the efficacy of therapeutic nanoparticles that have specific subcellular targets. To allow for both cellular and subcellular nanoparticle delivery, we have created epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles that use the native intracellular trafficking of EGFR to improve internalization and nuclear translocation in EGFR-expressing HeLa cells. While bound to EGFR, these nanoparticles do not interfere with the interaction between EGFR and karyopherin-β, a protein that is critical for the translocation of ligand-bound EGFR to the nucleus.

An X-ray transparent microfluidic platform for screening of the phase behavior of lipidic mesophases.

Lipidic mesophases are a class of highly ordered soft materials that form when certain lipids are mixed with water. Understanding the relationship between the composition and the microstructure of mesophases is necessary for fundamental studies of self-assembly in amphiphilic systems and for applications, such as the crystallization of membrane proteins. However, the laborious formulation protocol for highly viscous mesophases and the large amounts of material required for sample formulation are significant obstacles in such studies.

The mechanism of high-pressure-induced ordering in a macromolecular crystal.

A previous study showed that the diffraction from cubic crystals of an icosahedral virus, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), was dramatically improved under elevated hydrostatic pressure. This use of pressure may have a significant impact on structural biology if it is found to be generally applicable. There were two types of cubic crystals assigned in either an I23 or P23 space group.