Engineering fluorescent polymer nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery

Using polymer nanoparticles as a delivery mechanism can be more effective and efficient than when administering the drug alone using traditional methods. By fluorescently tagging them, we can track the particles to ensure they are reaching their intended target. However, more is not necessarily better, there is an optimum fluorescent molecule loading because these molecules can quench each other and result in less signal. The surface of the particles can also be functionalized by adding targeting ligands to target specific biological markers and increase the specificity of delivery. My work is a systematic study looking at how changing parameters such as fluorophore loading or polymer compositions affects the characteristics on the resulting nanoparticles. Because every application requires slightly different traits, understanding how to tailor and manipulate the particle characteristics is essential to increase nanoparticle versatility and utility in the drug delivery field.