An in silico analysis of nanoparticle/cell diffusive transfer: Application to nano-artificial antigen-presenting cell:T-cell interaction

Biodegradable nanoparticles (nano-paAPC's) impregnated with Interlukin-2 (IL-2) and surface modified with stimulatory and co-stimulatory T-cell ligands have been found to be efficient artificial antigen-presenting cells for T-cells. The present work is an attempt to better understand the efficacy of these particles by calculating the local IL-2 concentration as a function of the secretion characteristics of the nano-paAPC and particle/cell spacing. The potentially significant IL-2 accumulation found here, especially if the nano-paAPCs embed in the cell membrane, may explain observed experimental data regarding enhanced T-cell activation and nanoparticle-mediated improvement in the drug delivery process to non-internalizing cellular targets.106