UC San Diego

Nanomedicine is a frontier field which operates at the interface of nanotechnology, materials science, and medicine. One of the most significant contributions of nanomedicine to society has been the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems (nano-DDS), as it has enabled life-saving medicines – most recently, COVID-19 vaccines. These nanoscale drug delivery systems leverage nanoparticles of synthetic or natural origin whose physical, chemical, or biological properties can be “nanoengineered” to optimize the loading, potency, and stability of drug substance (chemical, proteinaceous, or genetic payload). Plant virus nanoparticles (VNPs) are a promising class of nano-DDS with exceptional scalability, precision, and modularity. VNPs can be nanoengineered via bioconjugation and pharmaceutical formulation chemistries to yield translational interventions against debilitating disease. This dissertation presents nanoengineering strategies to realize (1) multivalent drug delivery candidates against atherosclerosis, (2) formulations which overcome insolubility during VNP + hydrophobic ligand bioconjugation, and (3) storage formulations which augment the thermostability and cold-chain independence of VNP cancer immunotherapy.