Université de Fribourg

Synthesis and biophysical characterization of an odd-numbered 1,3-diamidophospholipid

Neuhaus, Frederik ; Mueller, Dennis ; Tanasescu, Radu ; Balog, Sandor ; Takashi Ishikawa ; Brezesinski, Gerald ; Zumbuehl, Andreas

In: Langmuir, 2018, vol. 34, no. 10, p. 3215–3220

Nanomedicine suffers from low drug delivery efficiencies. Mechanoresponsive vesicles could provide an alternative way to release active compounds triggered by the basic physics of the human body. 1,3-Diamidophospholipids with C16 tails proved to be an effective building block for mechanoresponsive vesicles, but their low main phase transition temperature prevents an effective application in...

Université de Fribourg

Structural behavior of cylindrical polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer containing MWCNTs: on the influence of nanoparticle surface modification

Hasanabadi, Noushin ; Nazockdast, Hossein ; Gajewska, Bernadetta ; Balog, Sandor ; Gunkel, Ilja ; Bruns, Nico ; Lattuada, Marco

In: Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 2017/218/22/n/a-n/a

In this work, the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the self-assembly of nanocomposite materials made of cylinder-forming polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene- butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) is studied. CNTs are modified with polystyrene (PS) brushes by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization to facilitate both their dispersion and the orientation of neighboring PS domains...

Université de Fribourg

Rheological characterization of nanostructured material based on Polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene-butylene)-b-polystyrene (SEBS) block copolymer: Effect of block copolymer composition and nanoparticle geometry

Hasanabadi, Noushin ; Nazockdast, Hossein ; Balog, Sandor ; Lattuada, Marco

In: Composites Science and Technology, 2017, vol. 149, no. Supplement C, p. 192–206

Block copolymer (BCP) nanocomposite systems are of broad interest; however, reports on the role of nanoparticles on microphase separation behavior are rare. The goal of present study is to investigate the preparation of composite nanostructured materials containing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) or graphene nanoplates. BCP nanocomposites based on the linear triblock copolymer, ...

Université de Fribourg

Vesicle origami: cuboid phospholipid vesicles formed by template‐free self‐assembly

Neuhaus, Frederik ; Mueller, Dennis ; Tanasescu, Radu ; Balog, Sandor ; Ishikawa, Takashi ; Brezesinski, Gerald ; Zumbuehl,  Andreas

In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2017, vol. 56, no. 23, p. 6515–6518

Phospholipid liposomes are archetypical self-assembled structures. To minimize the surface tension, the vesicles typically are spherical. Deciphering the bilayer code, the basic physical interactions between phospholipids would allow these molecules to be utilized as building blocks for novel, non-spherical structures. A 1,2- diamidophospholipid is presented that self-assembles into a cuboid...

Université de Fribourg

A guide to investigating colloidal nanoparticles by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy: pitfalls and benefits

Monnier, Christophe A. ; Thévenaz, David C. ; Balog, Sandor ; Fiore, Gina L. ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: AIMS Biophysics, 2015, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 245–258

Synthetic colloidal nanoparticles are nowadays omnipresent. Nonetheless, adequately characterizing them and interpreting the data is challenging, as their surrounding environment, e.g. the medium they are dispersed in, is often an active contributor to their size, morphology and structural integrity. In this regard, cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) is an ideal methodology. This...

Université de Fribourg

Nanoparticle colloidal stability in cell culture media and impact on cellular interactions

Moore, Thomas L. ; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Hirsch, Vera ; Balog, Sandor ; Urban, Dominic ; Jud, Corinne ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Lattuada, Marco ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Chemical Society Reviews, 2015, vol. 44, no. 17, p. 6287–6305

Nanomaterials are finding increasing use for biomedical applications such as imaging, diagnostics, and drug delivery. While it is well understood that nanoparticle (NP) physico-chemical properties can dictate biological responses and interactions, it has been difficult to outline a unifying framework to directly link NP properties to expected in vitro and in vivo outcomes. When introduced to...

Université de Fribourg

Avoiding drying-artifacts in transmission electron microscopy: Characterizing the size and colloidal state of nanoparticles

Michen, Benjamin ; Geers, Christoph ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Endes, Carola ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Balog, Sandor ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Scientific Reports, 2015, vol. 5, p. 9793

Standard transmission electron microscopy nanoparticle sample preparation generally requires the complete removal of the suspending liquid. Drying often introduces artifacts, which can obscure the state of the dispersion prior to drying and preclude automated image analysis typically used to obtain number-weighted particle size distribution. Here we present a straightforward protocol for...

Université de Fribourg

Thermally reversible self-assembly of nanoparticles via polymer crystallization

Kinnear, Calum ; Balog, Sandor ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2014, vol. 35, no. 23, p. 2012–2017

The directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles through the crystallization of surface-grafted polyethylene oxide (PEO) in ethanol–water mixtures is described. This process is fully reversible and tunable through either the size of the core or the polymeric coating. Characterization by X-ray scattering and electron microscopy of the self-assembled structures reveals order at the nanoscale,...

Université de Fribourg

Size-dependent accumulation of particles in lysosomes modulates dendritic cell function through impaired antigen degradation

Seydoux, Emilie ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Nita, Izabela M ; Balog, Sandor ; Gazdhar, Amiq ; Stumbles, Philip A ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Blank, Fabian ; Garnier, Christophe von

In: International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2014, p. 3885

Introduction: Nanosized particles may enable therapeutic modulation of immune responses by targeting dendritic cell (DC) networks in accessible organs such as the lung. To date, however, the effects of nanoparticles on DC function and downstream immune responses remain poorly understood. Methods: Bone marrow–derived DCs (BMDCs) were exposed in vitro to 20 or...

Université de Fribourg

In Vitro dosimetry of agglomerates

Hirsch, Vera ; Kinnear, Calum ; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Monnier, Christophe A. ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Balog, Sandor ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Nanoscale, 2014, p. -

Agglomeration of nanoparticles in biological fluids is a pervasive phenomenon that leads to difficulty in the interpretation of results from in vitro exposures, primarily due to the differing particokinetics of agglomerates to nanoparticles. Therefore, well-defined small agglomerates were designed that possessed different particokinetics profiles, and their cellular uptake was compared to a...