Degradable plasmon resonant gold nanoshells

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。0853921 Romanowski等离子体共振，一种与金属纳米颗粒相关的光学现象，正在研究用于生物医学成像和细胞水平的干预。 然而，从体内完全消除目前可用的纳米颗粒的尺寸要求可能会限制其临床用途。为了应对这一挑战，我们最近报道了一种新的复合材料，可生物降解的等离子体共振纳米壳的制备和测试。 这类全新的材料保持了固体金属外壳的光学可调谐性特征，但降解后产生的单个簇的直径与肾清除率的要求相兼容。可生物降解的金属纳米壳可以使许多研究阶段的技术，包括这些研究人员早期研究的金纳米粒子的成像和治疗应用的临床转化。 该研究计划的主要目标是评估可降解金纳米壳在医学诊断和治疗中的应用。 研究了可降解纳米壳的光热转化、内容物释放以及分子靶向作用。将确定递送药剂至感兴趣的细胞类型的特异性。将详细描述释放内容物的亚细胞命运，以评价增强递送至细胞的机制，并研究递送试剂（siRNA）影响细胞功能的能力。 该研究项目的一个组成部分是为对纳米级工程材料在人类健康中的应用感兴趣的学生提供研究和教育机会。 除了研究生的支持，这项研究计划将在亚利桑那大学的两个项目中创造教育机会，本科生物学研究项目和夏季研究项目，为对科学感兴趣和能力的高中生提供。 这种经验将有助于这些研究人员加强光子学，分子生物学和材料科学领域的教育课程，或者更广泛地说，纳米医学。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0853921RomanowskiPlasmon resonance, an optical phenomenon associated with metal nanoparticles, is being investigated for biomedical imaging and intervention at the cellular level. However, the size requirements for complete elimination of currently available nanoparticles from the body may limit their clinical utility. In response to this challenge we recently reported preparation and testing of a new composite material, biodegradable plasmon resonant nanoshells. This fundamentally new class of materials maintains optical tunability characteristic of solid metallic shells, yet upon degradation yields individual clusters of diameter compatible with the requirements of renal clearance. Biodegradable metallic nanoshells may enable clinical translation of many research-stage technologies, including imaging and therapeutic applications of gold nanoparticles studied by these investigators earlier. The main goal of this research plan is to evaluate applications of degradable gold nanoshells in medical diagnostics and therapy. Photothermal conversion, content release as well as molecular targeting of degradable nanoshells will be studied. Specificity of delivering agents to cell types of interest will be determined. The subcellular fate of the released contents will be detailed to evaluate mechanisms to enhance delivery to cells, and the ability of the delivered agent (siRNA) to effect cell function will be investigated. An integral part of this research project is to provide research and educational opportunities to students with interest in engineering materials on the nanometer scale for applications in human health. In addition to a graduate student support, this research plan will create educational opportunities within two programs active at the University of Arizona, Undergraduate Biology Research Program and a summer research program for underrepresented high school students with interest and abilities in science. This experience will subsequently help these investigators enhance educational curriculum in areas of photonics, molecular biology and material science, or more broadly, nanomedicine.