Antibody Conjugated Silk Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery in Glioblastoma Multiforme

For the full scope of this project and all reports, feel free to check out this website linked here!

During my senior year at Tufts University, I worked with a group of three students and two peer mentors to create a dual antibody conjugated silk nanoparticle system for targeted drug delivery in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). GBM is an aggressive tumor initiated by mutated astrocytes that can be found in the brain and spinal cord. As of now, the current treatment options for GBM are mainly surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. These are all invasive or have severe side effects, making a targeted delivery system for chemotherapy using antibody-conjugated silk nanoparticles an important avenue to explore.

Our project explored the dual use of antibodies that target EGFRviii and IL-13Ra2 receptors. EGFRviii is a receptor expressed on the surface of around 30% of GBM cells, and not expressed in healthy brain tissue; IL-13Ra2 is expressed on 75% of GBM cells, but the low-level expression is found in the brain. The goals of this project are to determine the best receptors to target for GBM and induce successful dual antibody conjugation to the silk nanoparticle surface.

Our faculty advisor for this project is Dr. David Kaplan, and our mentors are Sunny Shaidani and Charlotte Jacobus.