Publication Date

Fall 2010

Document Type

Project Summary

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Analytical Chemistry

First Advisor

Walter Henne, Jr., Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Karen D'Arcy, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Patty Fu-Giles, Ph.D.

Abstract

Folic acid is a very important vitamin. It is needed by cells for various physiological functions. It plays an important role in growth and multiplication of cells and therefore is needed very much by cancerous cells. One of the ways folate reaches the cells is the folate receptor mediated endocytosis. Therefore folate binding proteins are abundant on cancerous cells. Clinical trials proved that the folate receptor targeted drug delivery is very promising to increase the drug exposure to malignant cells and to reduce the toxicity to healthy cells. It was recently discovered that folate receptor is also over expressed on activated macrophages which could contribute to diseases such as crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory osteoarthritis, vasculitis, diabetes, ischemia, reperfusion injury, sarcoidosis, glomerulonephritis, psoriasis and sjogren’s disease. Therefore folate receptor targeted drug delivery would also be beneficial for above diseases. Folic acid needs a carrier to take it to folate receptor. Serum Albumin is found to be suitable carrier for folate. In this project we make several conjugates of Folate-BSA and determine the simple way of making Folate-BSA for commercial use. The project also focuses on determining the degree of labeling of Folate on BSA. Finally Folate-BSA is labeled with dyes fluorescein and Rhodamine which can be used in future studies as fluorescent imaging agents.

Share

COinS