Abstract

Cancer is a disease that continues to affect millions of people each year. Current cancer treatments are non-specific and destroy healthy cells along with the cancerous cells. Chemically modified viral nanoparticles (VNPs) have the potential to be used as improved cancer therapeutics. VNPs can also be used as imaging devices to identify the presence of cancer earlier. Previous work has shown that fluorescein succinimidyl esters (FITC) can be covalently attached to cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV). FITC dyes can be used for imaging once internalized in cells. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is another modification to the surface of a viral capsid that is beneficial for using VNPs in internalization studies. PEG is a long hydrophilic polymer that limits cellular interactions between the VNP and the surface of cells. In addition to blocking native interactions, a PEG modification can be used to change VNP targeting via addition of a targeting ligand to the end of the PEG polymer. Bacteriophage lambda (λ) is a well-studied model virus, but has not been studied as a nanoparticle. We have shown through a native dot blot Western that bacteriophage λ is still accessible by λ specific antibodies with the presence of FITC and PEG on the surface of the virus. Antibody detection of VNPs is important because we can use it to learn about the internalization of VNPs. The viruses modified with FITC are the devices that can be used for imaging once internalized inside cancerous cells. This internalization will allow us to better understand novel internalization pathways unique to cancer cells. Our ongoing studies will provide more information about imaging with VNPs and internalization pathways.