Or Shemesh, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology
Center for Neuroscience
School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Seminar Title: "Genetically encoded Nanoparticles"

Host:  Donna Beer Stolz, PhD

"In this talk, I will discuss the hypothesis that creating genetically encoded NPs can potentially yield high efficacy cancer imaging and treatment. First, I will describe the optimization of formation of GENPs in culture. We demonstrate in GBM cell line (GL261), proteins that were shown to form cages wherein NPs can form, or proteins that can reduce metal ions to form elemental metal. We supply the cultured cells with salts containing the metal ions at concentration proven safe for mammalian cells. We confirmed the formation of metal NPs by reflectance-mode optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and elemental analysis. Next, we will discuss current and future applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging of tumors and in vivo and GBM tumor-cell killing using metal GENPs. In summary, genetically encoded nanoparticles unlock a plethora of theranostic applications, to image and treat GBM, one of the fastest progressing and violent neoplasms."