Immunonanoshells for targeted photothermal ablation in medulloblastoma and glioma: an in vitro evaluation using human cell lines.

We are developing a novel approach to specifically target malignant brain tumor cells for photothermal ablation using antibody-tagged, near infrared-absorbing gold-silica nanoshells, referred to as immunonanoshells. Once localized to tumor cells, these nanoshells are extremely efficient at absorbing near-infrared light and can generate sufficient heat to kill cancer cells upon exposure to laser light. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of immunonanoshells in vitro against both medulloblastoma and high-grade glioma cell lines.

Immunonanoshells for targeted photothermal ablation of tumor cells.

Consisting of a silica core surrounded by a thin gold shell, nanoshells possess an optical tunability that spans the visible to the near infrared (NIR) region, a region where light penetrates tissues deeply. Conjugated with tumor-specific antibodies, NIR-absorbing immunonanoshells can preferentially bind to tumor cells. NIR light then heats the bound nanoshells, thus destroying the targeted cells.

Metal nanoshells.

Metal nanoshells are a new class of nanoparticles with highly tunable optical properties. Metal nanoshells consist of a dielectric core nanoparticle such as silica surrounded by an ultrathin metal shell, often composed of gold for biomedical applications. Depending on the size and composition of each layer of the nanoshell, particles can be designed to either absorb or scatter light over much of the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the near infrared region where penetration of light through tissue is maximal.