PLGA from PolySciTech used in study on nanoparticle biodistribution based on particle size.

When nanoparticles are injected into a body several competing forces come into play which drive their motion. There are many features which affect this localization one of which is relative size of the particles. Recently, researchers at Yale University used PLGA (AP041) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) for generation of nanoparticles. These were then used to track their biodistribution across living systems to determine which organs/tissues they primarily transported too. This research holds promise to enable future developments of tissue-targeted nanoparticles based on particle size. Read more: Mandl, Hanna K., Elias Quijano, Hee Won Suh, Emily Sparago, Sebastian Oeck, Molly Grun, Peter M. Glazer, and W. Mark Saltzman. "Optimizing Biodegradable Nanoparticle Size for Tissue-Specific Delivery." Journal of Controlled Release (2019). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168365919305589

“Abstract: Nanoparticles (NPs) are promising vehicles for drug delivery because of their potential to target specific tissues [1]. Although it is known that NP size plays a critical role in determining their biological activity, there are few quantitative studies of the role of NP size in determining biodistribution after systemic administration. Here, we engineered fluorescent, biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs in a range of sizes (120–440 nm) utilizing a microfluidic platform and used these NPs to determine the effect of diameter on bulk tissue and cellular distribution after systemic administration. We demonstrate that small NPs (∼120 nm) exhibit enhanced uptake in bulk lung and bone marrow, while larger NPs are sequestered in the liver and spleen. We also show that small NPs (∼120 nm) access specific alveolar cell populations and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells more readily than larger NPs. Our results suggest that size of PLGA NPs can be used to tune delivery to certain tissues and cell populations in vivo.”