Multifunctional Gold Nanorods

Gold nanorods exhibit strong and tunable scattering and absorption properties in the near infrared region due to the unique physical geometry and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Research in our group is to explore these optical properties for a variety of biomedical applications from molecular imaging to cancer therapeutics. We synthesize and surface modify the nanoparticles with biocompatible polymers and cancer targeting ligands such as antibodies and peptides. Cancer diagnostic and therapeutic approaches include dark field microscopy, photothermal imaging, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, photodynamic and photothermal therapies.

 

Targeted Delivery

The targeted delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents into solid tumors is one of the most important and challenging problems in cancer nanomedicine, but the detailed mechanisms of nanoparticle delivery still remain a matter of debate. In our research, we use gold nanoparticles as tracers to investigate the mechanisms of active and passive tumor targeting and thus to maximize delivery efficiency and specificity of therapeutic agents such as SiRNA, antisense DNA and small molecule drugs. We are also interested in nuclear delivery of gene and peptides by designing and making cellular and nuclear penetrating gold nanoparticles.

 

mRNA Imaging and Regulation

Gene expression is the process that information contained in genes is turned into protein through mRNA. Correspondingly, mRNA provides a potential target not only for fundamental gene expression studies but also great opportunities for developing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In our research, we design and make gold nanobeacon for the imaging, localization, quantification, tracking and regulation of mRNA in living cells. The beacon detects mRNA when the fluorescence of the adsorbed fluorophore is restored upon mRNA binding. We aim to regulate gene expression not only through the nature of antisense sequence, but also the plasmonic field effects by the gold nanoparticle scaffold upon laser excitation.