Multivalent viral capsids with internal cargo for fibrin imaging.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Molecular Imaging

Background:

• Thrombosis is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarction and stroke.
• Targeted imaging agents can offer molecular insights into pathological clots for better diagnosis and therapy.
• Nanocarriers are versatile platforms for developing targeted molecular imaging agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate chemically functionalized bacteriophage MS2 capsids as biomolecule-based nanoparticles for fibrin imaging.
• To assess the efficacy of MS2 capsids functionalized with fibrin-targeting peptides for clot detection.

Main Methods:

• MS2 capsids were chemically modified via oxidative coupling to conjugate approximately 90 fibrin-targeting peptides per capsid.
• The impact of targeted capsids on thrombin-mediated clot formation was assessed in vitro.
• Near-infrared fluorophores were installed on the interior surface for optical detection of fibrin binding.

Main Results:

• Multivalent, targeted MS2 capsids demonstrated superior inhibition of clot formation compared to free peptides, with a ten-fold lower effective concentration.
• Targeted capsids showed specific binding to fibrin clots, achieving higher signal-to-background ratios than non-targeted controls.
• Optical detection confirmed the binding of functionalized capsids to fibrin.

Conclusions:

• Chemically functionalized MS2 capsids serve as effective nanocarriers for targeting fibrin.
• These targeted nanocarriers show promise for in vitro diagnostic applications in thrombosis.
• Fibrin-targeted MS2 capsids could potentially be utilized as delivery agents for thrombi in future therapeutic strategies.