Synthesis and Functionalization of Cerium Oxide Nano-particles (2021)

Cerium oxide nano-particles are used in medical applications, including cancer treatments. Nanoceria possesses excellent antioxidant properties. It is also emerging as an anti-inflammatory and bacteriostatic material. One distinctive property of nano-particles is their ability to be used in tandem with other cancer treatments such as photo-thermal therapy. This facilitates focused treatment of tumors without excessively damaging surrounding tissue, unlike chemotherapy, which affects the entire body indiscriminately. The ability of cerium oxide nano-particles to be functionalized is also a key factor in cancer treatment. Anti-cancer drugs such as doxorubicin are commonly placed onto nanoceria via electrostatic interactions, allowing drug delivery to the cancer site once the electrostatic interaction is disrupted by the highly acidic tumor cell environment. In my poster, two different methods of CeO2 nano-particles’ synthesis and their functionalization with anticancer drugs will be presented.