Gold nanorods enhance different immune cells and allow for efficient targeting of CD4+ Foxp3+ Tregulatory cells.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) hold great promise in nanomedicine, yet their successful clinical translation has not been realized. Some challenges include effective AuNP targeting and delivery to improve modulation of immune cells of interest while limiting potential adverse effects. In order to overcome these challenges, we must fully understand how AuNPs impact different immune cell subsets, particularly within the dendritic cell and T cell compartments.

Plasmonic gap-enhanced Raman tag nanorods for imaging 3D pancreatic spheroids using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and darkfield microscopy.

Plasmonic gap-enhanced Raman tags (GERTs) are new emerging nanoprobes that, based on their unique surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signal, can play a major role in complex imaging and detection of biological systems. GERTs are generated from a metal core nanostructure and layered with one or more metal nanosized layers, encasing a Raman active molecule. The advantages of GERTs are enhanced surface plasmon and electromagnetic resonance, as well as inherent protection of the Raman active molecule from environmental deterioration that could reduce their spectroscopic signatures over time.