Photonic and magnetic nanoexplorers for biomedical use: from subcellular imaging to cancer diagnostics and therapy

Abstract

A paradigm for brain cancer detection, treatment, and monitoring uses synergistic, multifunctional, biomedical nanoparticles for: (1) external delivery to cancer cells of singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS), but no drugs, thus avoiding multi-drug resistance, (2) photodynamic generation of singlet oxygen and ROS by a conserved critical mass of photosensitizer, (3) enhancement of magnetic relaxivity providing for MRI contrast, (4) control of plasma residence time, (5) specific cell targeting, (6) minimized toxicity, (7) measurement of tumor kill with diffusion MRI. The 40 nm polyacrylamide nanoparticles contained Photofrin, iron-oxide (or Gd), polyethylene glycol and targeting moieties. In-vivo tumor growth was halted and even reversed.