Effects of the Microparticle Shape on Cellular Uptake.

Physical forms of microparticles and nanoparticles, such as the size, charge, and shape, are known to affect endocytosis. Improving the physical designs of the drug carriers can increase the drug uptake efficiency and the subsequent drug efficacy. Simple shapes, such as sphere and cylinder, have been studied for their ability for endocytosis.

Tuning the adhesion of layer-by-layer films to the physicochemical properties of inner limiting membranes using nanoparticles.

Retinal trauma is a serious concern for patients undergoing inner limiting membrane (ILM) peeling to correct for various vitreoretinal interface conditions. This mechanical trauma can be prevented by modifying the surface of surgical instruments to increase adhesion to the ILM. To this effect, we have studied the effects of roughness and surface charge on the adhesive properties of ILMs by utilizing layer-by-layer (LbL) films with embedded gold nanoparticles (LbL-AuNP films).