# Single-Particle Characterization of Nanoparticle Bioconjugates

> **NIH NIH SC2** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO · 2020 · $147,000

## Abstract

Nanoparticles play several roles in biomedical technology, including as imaging contrast agents, heat
sources for photothermal therapy, and as drug delivery vehicles. In many of these applications, nanoparticles
are functionalized with specific antibodies for targeting purposes. Ideally, antibodies would be distributed
equally among the nanoparticles in a preparation and evenly distributed on each nanoparticle’s surface;
however, this is an overly simplistic picture. In reality, there are likely to be variations in the number of
antibodies per nanoparticle, their spatial distribution on the surface, and the degree to which their
function is preserved.
 In order to characterize nanoparticle bioconjugates, and to design improved ones, the details of the
surface functionalization must be better understood. The following two aims will pave the way towards this
goal. (1) The distributions of the number of antibodies per nanoparticle within a nanoparticle preparation will
be measured at the single-particle level using microwell array analysis, for both gold and polystyrene
nanoparticles. (2) The spatial arrangement of antibodies on the surfaces of individual nanoparticles will be
imaged using sub-diffraction-limited fluorescence microscopy. The preparation methods will be optimized to
produce nanoparticles with uniform functionalization in terms of the number and spatial distribution of
molecules on the surface. Characterizing and optimizing the surface functionalization is important for the
development of nanoparticle-based therapies. Improving the uniformity and quality of antibody
functionalization will lead to improved targeting.
 The project will be carried out in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas at
San Antonio, which is one of the country’s largest designated Hispanic Serving Institutions. An important part
of this SCORE project will be the training of Ph.D. students from groups historically underrepresented in
the physical and health sciences, and the elevation of research at this growing institution.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9888384
- **Project number:** 5SC2GM118273-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathryn Mayer
- **Activity code:** SC2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $147,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9888384

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9888384, Single-Particle Characterization of Nanoparticle Bioconjugates (5SC2GM118273-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9888384. Licensed CC0.

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