A group of investigators with complementary expertise has been assembled to construct micron-sized devices (""""""""mother ships"""""""") that are equipped with nano-sized features and that are capable of homing into cancerous tumors in vivo and performing various tasks in the tumor. These tasks include detecting, identifying, and imaging a tumor, performing measurements on it, and delivering therapies. The system will be based on micron-sized, nanostructured porous particles composed primarily of silicon or silicon oxides. The mother ship design concept and silicon-based scaffolding were chosen for a number of reasons: (1) The micron-range size makes it possible to use silicon while retaining its unique engineering features such as optical and radiofrequency reporting properties, high-capacity nano-porous carrier structure, biocompatibility and bioresorbability;(2) This applicant group has extensive experience with nanostructured silicon microdevices, and prototype mother ship particles resembling red blood cells have already been constructed and tested in-vivo;(3) Preliminary results suggest that micron-sized particles coated with tumor-specific vascular homing peptides become lodged in tumor vasculature;(4) Micronsized particles, unlike nanoparticles, are not taken up by the reticuloendothelial system;(5) The mother ship can be extensively functionalized with nanoparticles, nanotubes, drugs, and imaging agents in a controlled fashion.
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