Achievement

Nydeia wright synthesized several magnetic nanoparterials for drug delivery applications and she is scheduled to graduate in 2010. Some drug treatments face the challenge of delivering the bulk of an administered drug to the targeted site without causing non-specific toxicity to the rest of the body or causing harm to healthy cells. The potential of this type of application relies on the ability of the drug to be directed by an external magnet to a specific location where it would be released. The focus of this project is to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles such as iron oxides and carbides which will be coated with a surfactant and loaded with a drug. The particle syntheses are carried out through established techniques such as ultrasound and autogenic pressure reactions, while using novel concentrations of solvents and organometallic precursors. Development of such materials has the possibility of having a high impact in the world of medicine.