Experiments show that interactions between nanoparticles and cells are heterogeneous – there is a distribution of nanoparticle-cell uptake even when the nanoparticles being delivered are nominally identical. This is important because delivering the appropriate dose of a nanomedicine, in part, determines its efficacy.

Significantly, this heterogeneity changes over time following exposure of nanoparticles to cells. Our new paper uses a combination of modelling and experimental work to figure out why heterogeneity in nanoparticle-cell interactions appears to change over time, and to determine what are the potential sources of heterogeneity underlying this phenomenon.

Our study, led by Dr Stuart Johnston, shows that the key mechanisms driving early-time interactions and late-time interactions are different, and this transition between mechanisms makes it appear that heterogeneity changes over time. Read more about it here:

S.T. Johnston, M. Faria, E.J. Crampin
Isolating the sources of heterogeneity in nanoparticle-cell interactions
bioRXiv:10.1101/817569

This work was in part funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology (CE140100036).