The following navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move through main tier links and expand / close menus in sub tiers. Up and Down arrows will open main tier menus and toggle through sub tier links. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items.
Luke Jaskowski, Anna Grace Head, Nirzari Gupta, Dr. Diane Tucker, and Dr. Jacqueline Nikles, Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294
Targeted drug delivery has proven to be an increasingly relevant field with its recent emergence in fighting disease, especially to reduce toxicity and maximize control of treatments. Past research indicates that calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) microparticles show promise in this field as inexpensive and efficient drug carriers, capable of adsorbing a variety of essential medicines. In this study, we intended to analyze the effect of shape on microparticle carrying capacity. We synthesized cubical and star-shaped CaCO₃ microparticles under rapid stirring to control size and nucleation rate. We subsequently loaded the microparticles with Nile blue dye, chosen for its structural similarity to relevant pharmaceuticals and high absorbance in the visible light range. We then mimicked release by diffusion through dialysis, taking samples at different timepoints throughout loading and release to determine which shape to be the more effective carrier. Fluorescence microscopy allowed us to confirm synthesized shape, and UV-vis spectroscopy measured absorbance of each timepoint sample, showing star-shaped to have higher loading capacity and faster release rate. This is due to its larger surface area as evidenced by microscopy, which demonstrates its potential for future application as a drug carrier and its implications in carrying drugs structurally similar to Nile blue dye.
Presenter: Luke Jaskowski
Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Type: Poster
Subject: Chemistry
Status: Approved