About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Nanotechnology for Energy, Environment, Healthcare and Industry
|
| Presentation Title |
Surface-Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Neurotrophin-3 Delivery in Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Treatment |
| Author(s) |
Veil Denise A. Plazuela, Thiraj Mohankumar, Andrew Dunn, Daniel Sun, Donglu Shi |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Veil Denise A. Plazuela |
| Abstract Scope |
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a prevalent and irreversible condition with no FDA-approved drug therapy. Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) shows strong potential for repairing cochlear synapses, but its clinical translation is limited by challenges to extended local delivery. To overcome these barriers, Fe3O4 nanoparticles have been functionalized with NT-3, enabling precise magnetophoretic and photothermally-enhanced transport across the round window membrane. This work investigates novel surface functionalization of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles engineered for magneto-photothermal delivery of NT-3. Dopamine is used as a bifunctional linker to enable PEG grafting and covalent NT-3 conjugation, producing biocompatible, aqueous-stable nanoparticles. Nanoparticle core size, surface modification, colloidal stability, and NT-3 loading are evaluated using ATR-FTIR, dynamic light scattering analysis, and protein quantification assay, confirming that loaded NT-3 retains tertiary structure after nanoparticle loading. This study establishes a reproducible surface-functionalization strategy that supports efficient NT-3 conjugation and provides a foundation for future nanoparticle-based therapies for NIHL. |