Size- and Shape-Controlled Synthesis and Properties of Magnetic-Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

Magnetic-plasmonic core-shell nanomaterials offer a wide range of applications across science, engineering and biomedical disciplines. However, the ability to synthesize and understand magnetic-plasmonic core-shell nanoparticles with tunable sizes and shapes remains very limited. This work reports experimental and computational studies on the synthesis and properties of iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles of three different shapes (sphere, popcorn and star) with controllable sizes (70 to 250 nm).

Photosensitizer-loaded gold nanorods for near infrared photodynamic and photothermal cancer therapy.

Despite the advancement of photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy, the ability to form compact nanocomplex for combined photodynamic and photothermal cancer therapy under a single near infrared irradiation remains limited. In this work, we prepared an integrated sub-100 nm nanosystem for simultaneous near infrared photodynamic and photothermal cancer therapy. The nanosystem was formed by adsorption of silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine dihydroxide onto gold nanorod followed by covalent stabilization with alkylthiol linked polyethylene glycol.

Nanotechnology for enrichment and detection of circulating tumor cells.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a hallmark of invasive behavior of cancer, responsible for the development of metastasis. Their detection and analysis have significant impacts in cancer biology and clinical practice. However, CTCs are rare events and contain heterogeneous subpopulations, requiring highly sensitive and specific techniques to identify and capture CTCs with high efficiency.

Near-infrared-absorbing gold nanopopcorns with iron oxide cluster core for magnetically amplified photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapy.

We present the synthesis and application of a new type of dual magnetic and plasmonic nanostructures for magnetic-field-guided drug delivery and combined photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapy. Near-infrared-absorbing gold nanopopcorns containing a self-assembled iron oxide cluster core were prepared via a seed-mediated growth method. The hybrid nanostructures are superparamagnetic and show great photothermal conversion efficiency (η=61%) under near-infrared irradiation.

Integration of a nanostructured dielectrophoretic device and a surface-enhanced Raman probe for highly sensitive rapid bacteria detection.

This work reports a synergistic approach to the concentration, detection and kinetic monitoring of pathogens through the integration of nanostructured dielectrophoresis (DEP) with nanotag-labelled Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). A nanoelectrode array made of embedded Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (VACNFs) at the bottom of a microfluidic chip was used to effectively capture and concentrate nanotag-labelled E. coli DHα5 cells into a 200 μm × 200 μm area on which a Raman laser probe was focused.

Impact of core dielectric properties on the localized surface plasmonic spectra of gold-coated magnetic core-shell nanoparticles.

Gold-coated iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles (IO-Au NPs) are of interest for use in numerous biomedical applications because of their unique combined magnetic-plasmonic properties. Although the effects of the core-dielectric constant on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak position of Au-shell particles have been previously investigated, the impact that light-absorbing core materials with complex dielectric functions have on the LSPR peak is not well established. In this study, we use extended Mie theory for multilayer particles to examine the individual effects of the real and imaginary components of core refractive indices on Au-shell NP plasmonic peaks.

Capture and detection of cancer cells in whole blood with magnetic-optical nanoovals.

Aim: To develop a simple assay for the capture and detection of rare cancer cells in whole blood using iron oxide-gold (IO-Au) nanoparticles.

Materials & Methods: IO-Au nanoovals (NOVs) were synthesized, coated with Raman tags and linked with antibodies targeting breast cancer. An integrated system was constructed for on-line magnetic cell capture and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection.

Gold nanorods carrying paclitaxel for photothermal-chemotherapy of cancer.

Nanotechnology-based photothermal therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for cancer during the past decade. However, heterogeneous laser heating and limited light penetration can lead to incomplete tumor cell eradication. Here, we developed a method to overcome these limitations by combining chemotherapy with photothermal therapy using paclitaxel-loaded gold nanorods.

Synthesis and properties of near infrared-absorbing magnetic-optical nanopins.

Novel near infrared-absorbing iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles in pin shapes were synthesized. The nanopins are superparamagnetic, with 35-fold better surface enhanced Raman scattering activities than the conventional core-shell nanospheres and 50-fold greater photothermal properties than solid gold nanorods. The nanoparticles will have important impact on medical imaging, molecular diagnostics and disease treatment.