This fall, I have been working with
Dr. Moran in the GMU mechanical engineering department to fabricate and
optimize magnetic iron nanorods for use in medicine, delivering drugs directly
to tumors (alleviating the issues associated with traditional chemotherapy). As
expected, COVID-19 has presented roadblocks to acquiring materials from
distributors and spending time in the lab, but that has not stopped the lab’s
research completely. My goal is to develop the apparatus to mass-produce iron
nanorods and optimize the process for coating them in polyethylene glycol
(PEG). The rods are grown through a process known as electrodeposition which
resembles making a batch of cupcakes. First, an aqueous solution containing
iron ions fills the cylindrical nanopores of a membrane. The diameter of the
pores is the same as the diameter of the eventual rods, and these pores are
tiny – about 1/10000th the diameter of a human hair. The membrane serves as our
“muffin pan.” The “baking” process occurs when an electric charge is sent
through the membrane which reduces the iron in solution into its neutral, solid
state. Slowly, the “cupcakes” grow in solid metal form. Removing these iron
cupcakes from their membrane pan is achieved by dissolving it and the product
is thousands of magnetic iron nanorods. The “toppings” can be any drug that can
be loaded on to treat diseases such as cancer. The PEG layer “lubricates” the
rods so they can move through tissues more efficiently.
So far, I have aided with the
design of the experiment and facilitated contact with suppliers and vendors to
acquire materials and ensure our setup would work. I also helped Dr. Moran in
preparing figures and graphics related to grant proposals. This semester
presented many challenges in the form of COVID-19 but this project allowed me
to learn a great deal about myself and my future goals. Throughout this
project, I realized that I am far more interested in optimizing the process for
creating iron nanorods than I am interested in their potential uses, which is
the opposite of what I expected before beginning research.
