X-ray Triggered Release of Engineered Proteins from Nanoparticles

The top panel illustrates the release of molecules and proteins from the surface of nanoparticles and the bottom one shows the measured release efficiencies.
The top panel illustrates the release of molecules and proteins from the surface of nanoparticles and the bottom one shows the measured release efficiencies.

In a recent publication (Su and coworkers, X-ray Mediated Release of Molecules and Engineered Proteins from the Surface of Nanoparticles, 2018) the Guo and Siegel Labs presents unprecedented efficient release of modified green fluorescent proteins (GFP) from the surface of silica-coated gold nanoparticles. In this work, which has taken the two groups several years to complete, engineered GFP are linked to the surface through DNA linkers, which can be cleaved by hydroxyl radicals produced in X-ray irradiated nanoparticle aqueous solutions. The results provide guidance for future work in the area of activation of protein therapeutics directly in the body with high spatial and temporal resolution. 

More information at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.8b13117