(285) Investigating the Cellular Internalization and Endosomal Escape of Polymeric Mesoscale Nanoparticles

Introduction: Mesoscale nanoparticles (MNPs) are ~300 nm diameter particles demonstrating highly selective renal targeting. Prior studies have found that MNPs successfully deliver siRNA therapeutics to the kidneys and selectively reduce target gene expression. For the MNPs to deliver their therapeutic cargo efficiently, they need to be internalized by tubular epithelial cells. Following internalization, nanoparticles must escape the endosomes to deliver cargo into the cytoplasm. The aim of this study is to investigate the cellular internalization pathways and endosomal escape rate of MNPs.