Nanoparticles for cancer treatment.

mediciNe & HealtH/RHode iSlaNd partICleS Can be engIneered to nanometer-size (nm) which are only 1/1,000 the width of a single human hair. Nanoparticles made of gold display strong optical absorption. A special type of gold nanoparticle called hollow gold nanoparticle has a core-shell nanostructure with unique characteristics, including small particle size (~40 nm in diameter), which is an ideal range for particles to be incorporated into living cells; hollow interior, which allows for higher drug loading capacity; and pure gold composition, which is associated with less toxicity. 3 The hollow gold nanoparticles have been proven to convert optical energy into thermal energy, leading to overheating of the local environment around the light-absorbing species. This phenomenon is known as photothermal effect. We have developed a variety of applications of hollow gold nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics, including photothermal ablation therapy, photoacoustic tomography, and light-controlled drug release.