Keming Xu

We report on the use of dopamine (DA) as a robust molecular anchor to link functional molecules to the iron oxide shell of magnetic nanoparticles. Using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as the functional molecule, we created a system with an M/Fe2O3-DA-NTA (M = Co or SmCo5.2) nanostructure, which possesses high stability and specificity for separating histidine-tagged proteins. The well-established biocompatibility of iron oxide and the robust covalent bonds between DA and Fe2O3 render this strategy attractive for constructing biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles containing iron oxide.

Recent successful syntheses of monodispersed magnetic nanoparticles have offered a unique opportunity to control and probe biological interactions using magnetic force. This paper highlights a general strategy to generate biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles, illustrates applications for these nanoparticles in protein separation and pathogen detection, and analyzes the high sensitivity and high selectivity achieved by this system.

We report on the use of bisphosphonate to functionalize Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles via dopamine (DA) linkage. Using tetraethyl-3-aminopropane-1,1-bisphosphonate (BP) as the functional molecule, we created a system with an Fe3O4-DA-BP nanostructure, which possesses high specificity for removing uranyl ions from water or blood. This work demonstrates that magnetic nanoparticles, combined with specific receptor-ligand interactions, promise a sensitive and rapid platform for the detection, recovery, and decorporation of metal toxins from biological environment.

This paper reports the synthesis, characterization, and cellular uptake of the conjugate of porphyrin and iron oxide nanoparticles, which may lead to a bimodal anticancer agent that can be used in the combinational treatment of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and hyperthermia therapy (HT).