title: Modelling the Transport of Nanoparticles under Blood Flow using an Agent-based Approach.
abstract: Blood-mediated nanoparticle delivery is a new and growing field in the development of therapeutics and diagnostics. Nanoparticle properties such as size, shape and surface chemistry can be controlled to improve their performance in biological systems. This enables modulation of immune system interactions, blood clearance profile and interaction with target cells, thereby aiding effective delivery of cargo within cells or tissues. Their ability to target and enter tissues from the blood is highly dependent on their behaviour under blood flow. Here we have produced an agent-based model of nanoparticle behaviour under blood flow in capillaries. We demonstrate that red blood cells are highly important for effective nanoparticle distribution within capillaries. Furthermore, we use this model to demonstrate how nanoparticle size can selectively target tumour tissue over normal tissue. We demonstrate that the polydispersity of nanoparticle populations is an important consideration in achieving optimal specificity and to avoid off-target effects. In future this model could be used for informing new nanoparticle design and to predict general and specific uptake properties under blood flow.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK [2] MRC Centre for Molecular Virology, University College London, UK [3] Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fullstone
authors.affiliation: Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holcombe
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK [2] MRC Centre for Molecular Virology, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D001775:Blood Circulation; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles