Phoretic cages

Type: Semester project

Advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the development of targeted drug-delivery devices to fight against several diseases [1]. Many of these innovative devices rely on nanoscopic porous cages housing therapeutic agents. These nanocages can be strategically introduced into the bloodstream, leveraging a concentration gradient of a chemical species that interacts with the cage’s walls.

This project aims to establish a comprehensive database that facilitates a more informed and rationalized design of such drug-delivery devices. We will adopt a simplified two-dimensional configuration, keeping the cage fixed within an unbounded fluid domain. We will exploit a mathematical tool to evaluate the far field velocity generated by these porous structures knowing a few inputs, such as the macroscopic and microscopic geometry of the cage and its chemical properties [2]. 

We will build a user-friendly MatLab-based tool where the user can choose the micro- and macroscopic shape and the direction of the concentration gradient across the microscopic structure of the cage, and obtain, as an output, the surrounding fluid flow direction and intensity. 

The resulting database will adhere to state-of-the-art data management practices, ensuring its availability and usability for the broader scientific community.

Frame a): cartoon of a graphene-based nanocage. Frame b): four different types of nanospheres used for targeted drug delivery [3]. Frame c): nanocages (red and green) assume opposite trajectories due to their different chemical properties. 

[1] Torchilin, V.P., 2012, “Next step in drug delivery: getting to individual organelles” Drug Deliv. Transl. Res., 2, 415–417. 

[2] Zampogna G.A., Ledda, P.G., Wittkowski, K., Gallaire, F., 2023, “Homogenization theory captures macroscopic flow discontinuities across Janus membranes” J. Fluid Mech., 970, A39. 

[3] O. Bobylev, Y. Zeng, K. Weijgertse, E. Koelman, E. M. Meijer, B. de Bruin, A. Kros, J. N.H. Reek, (2023), The application of M12L24 nanocages as cell-specific siRNA delivery agents invitro, Chem, 9(6), 1578-1593.

Supervisors: Kevin Wittkowski & Giuseppe Zampogna