"The greatest discoveries of science have always been those that forced us to rethink our beliefs about the universe and our place in it." ~Robert L. Park

University of California, Los Angeles

Graduate Student, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dr. Jeffrey I. Zink

About

My current work focuses on the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as methods of delivering drugs to various infected cells, particularly pancreatic and breast cancer. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are of particular interest due to their highly ordered and uniform pores. The hydrophobic nature of the interior of the pores, as well as the ability to functionalize the silica surface with hydrophilic functionalities, makes these particles attractive for anti-cancer drug delivery. I am currently working on a few variations of the basic silica nanoparticles. Adding a magnetic core to the particles is of interest for its potential applications in magnetic resonance imaging, as addition of the magnetic core may make it useful as a contrast agent. Additionally, functionalizing the surface of the particles is important so that particular cells are targeted. Since current cancer therapeutics involve targeting a region of cells, being able to deliver anti-cancer drugs only to the cancer cells without affecting healthy cells would be very beneficial.

Contact Information

Address:

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of California, Los Angeles
607 Charles E. Young Dr. E.
Los Angeles, CA 90095

 

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