Date Approved

7-6-2026

Embargo Period

7-6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Biomedical Engineering

Department

Biomedical Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Rachel Riley, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Vincent Beachley, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Erik Brewer, Ph.D.

Keywords

Cancer therapy;drug delivery;Gene therapy;lipid-gold nanoparticles;Nanoparticles;photothermal therapy

Abstract

Traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery include adverse side effects and acquire resistance. Here, I developed a novel hybrid lipid-gold nanoparticle technology (LGNP) to achieve simultaneous gene regulation and photothermal therapy, specifically targeting pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ovarian cancer. This core material consists of slice core/gold nanoshells, which are efficient heat transducers where NIR light activates nanoshells embedded in tumors, generating localized heat for tumor ablation. The ionizable lipid coating facilitates intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, such as mRNA or siRNA, to modulate gene expression effectively. Lipid-gold hybrid nanoparticles (LGNPs) are synthesized via a controlled self-assembly process, incorporating a lipid layer with polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers. We optimized LGNP formulations by varying PEG molar ratios to enhance mRNA delivery by evaluating LGNP uptake and transfection in Kasumi-1 (pediatric AML) and OVCAR-3 (ovarian cancer) cell lines. Further, LGNPs facilitated efficient mRNA delivery, yielding a 700-fold increase in luminescence in Kasumi-1 AML cells and a 6000-fold increase in OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells compared to controls.

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