Studying the interactions between nanoengineered materials and biological systems plays a vital role in the development of biological applications of nanotechnology and the improvement of our fundamental understanding of the bio–nano interface. A significant barrier to progress in this multidisciplinary area is the variability of published literature with regards to characterizations performed and experimental details reported. Here, we suggest a ‘minimum information standard’ for experimental literature investigating bio–nano interactions. This standard consists of specific components to be reported, divided into three categories: material characterization, biological characterization and details of experimental protocols. Our intention is for these proposed standards to improve reproducibility, increase quantitative comparisons of bio–nano materials, and facilitate meta analyses and in silico modelling.

Introduction: Nanoparticles have been successfully used for cancer drug delivery since 1995. In the design of commercial nanoparticles, size and surface characteristics have been exploited to achie...

In this paper, we describe the synthesis of asymmetric functional POEGMA-b-P(ST-co-VBA) copolymers in methanol, yielding in one-pot polymerization a range of nanoparticle morphologies, including spherical micelles, worm-like, rod-like micelles and vesicles. The presence of the aldehyde group was then exploited to form crosslinks or to conjugate chemotherapy compounds, such as doxorubicin, via pH-breakable bonds (Schiff base or imine) directly to the preformed nanoparticles. The influence of the nanoparticle morphologies on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line uptake was investigated using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Finally, the IC₅₀ of DOX, following nanoparticle delivery, was studied showing significant influence of the nanoparticle carrier morphology on therapeutic efficacy for breast cancer.