The ability to target specific tissues and to be internalized by cells is critical for successful nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery. Here, we combined "stealthy" rod-shaped poly(2-oxazoline) (POx) nanoparticles of different lengths with a cancer marker targeting nanobody and a fluorescent cell internalization sensor via a heat-induced living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) strategy. A significant increase in association and uptake driven by nanobody-receptor interactions was observed alongside nanorod-length-dependent kinetics. Importantly, the incorporation of the internalization sensor allowed for quantitative differentiation between cell surface association and internalization of the targeted nanorods, revealing unprecedented length-dependent cellular interactions of CDSA nanorods. This study highlights the modularity and versatility of the heat-induced CDSA process and further demonstrates the potential of POx nanorods as a modular nanomedicine platform.
Keywords: cellular uptake; crystallization; nanobody; nanorod; nanosensor; poly(2-oxazoline).