Nanotemplate engineering of cell specific nanoparticles

Through nanotechnology, it is now possible to cost-effectively and reproducibly create and develop useful small particles for applications in the pharmaceutical, medical, chemical, and engineering fields. In the pharmaceutical field, cost-effective, reproducible, and scalable processes to engineer cell- or tissue-targeted nanoparticles are sought to deliver potent drugs as new therapies. A natural and spontaneous method to engineer nanoparticles has been developed through the use of microemulsions whereby the dispersed phase droplets serve as "nanotemplates" to directly form stable nanoparticles. The present review will serve to provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities in developing ideal nanoparticulate carrier systems and the use of microemulsion precursors to engineer nanoparticles. An overview will be presented on our work in targeting surface-modified nanoparticles to (1) dendritic cells for potential new types of genetic and subunit protein vaccines, and (2) solid tumors for potential neutron capture therapy (NCT) using gadolinium.