Maryam Malekigorji

Heat Dissipation of Hybrid Iron Oxide-Gold Nanoparticles in an Agar Phantom

Hybrid iron oxide-gold nanoparticles (HNPs) have shown potential in cancer therapy as agents for tumour ablation and thermal switches for targeted drug release. Heat generation occurs by exploitation of the surface plasmon resonance of the gold coating, which usually occurs at the maximum UV absorption wavelength. However, lasers at such wavelength are often expensive and highly specialised. Here, we report the heating and monitoring of heat dissipation of HNPs suspended in agar phantoms using a relatively inexpensive Ng: YAG pulsed 1064 nm laser source. The particles experience heating of up to 40°C with a total area of heat dissipation up to 132.73 mm2 from the 1 mm diameter irradiation point after 60 seconds. This work reports the potential and possible drawbacks of these particles for translation into cancer therapy based on our findings.

Potential of hybrid iron oxide–gold nanoparticles as thermal triggers for pancreatic cancer therapy

Theranostics are emerging platforms for rapid cancer diagnosis and therapy. Hybrid iron oxide–gold nanoparticles (HNPs) have shown potential as theranostics due to their ability for imaging using MRI, heating using laser irradiation and carrier abilities for drug molecules after surface functionalization. The ability of HNPs to act as localised nano-heaters has been well documented for tumour ablation applications where maximal heating effect is desired. However, the use of HNPs as thermal triggers for drug release requires more control over temperature output and careful consideration of heat dissipation. In this work we report the potential of HNPs to act as localised nano-heaters in vitro and document the cellular effect prior and post laser irradiation in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma (BxPC-3) cell lines. The data showed that after incubation of 50 μg mL−1 HNPs, a thermal increase of up to 9 °C was observed in the cells after laser irradiation with the total area experiencing heat dissipation from the laser beam being 346 mm2. Although the total temperature experienced by cells was below the perceived temperature for irreversible cell damage, after 24 h significant levels of HSP27 and HSP70 were evident with a drop in cell viability to 85%. This indicated that even with rapid irradiation at low temperatures the cells were undergoing stress. Upon I.T. injection in pancreatic xenograft models, a similar heating capacity was observed at identical concentration which also resulted in bulk tumour dissipation. The findings from this work highlight the factors which must be taken into consideration when designing HNPs as theranostics for heat triggered drug delivery.

Assessment of Chinese students’ progression and perceptions in blended team-based learning approach at an international college in China

Blended team-based learning (TBL) as a major component of an undergraduate course was implemented at a UK joint college in China. The core components of TBL were introduced in the course for Chinese students and their academic performance and course evaluation data with blended TBL approach was compared with solely flipped classroom and traditional lecture-based courses. Students’ perceptions regarding traditional learning and TBL were investigated and compared through the use of an online perceptual learning style preference questionnaire. Students ranked blended TBL as a superior method of learning in comparison with didactic lecturing style. Higher data retention and classroom performance was achieved within blended TBL course compared to traditional learning style. Students’ perceptions and performance suggested that blended TBL can benefit non-native English speaker students, who are studying in a remote campus, where English language is not the first spoken language and provided positive feedback on their preparedness may help them to develop higher reasoning skills.