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Project

Design and development of biodegradable polymer/ gold nanorod hybrid nano carriers for photothermal cancer therapy : Evaluation by (non-)linear optical methods. (R-6400)

The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in medicine has seen a tremendous rise in interest owing to their vast potential as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. One such instance is the use of nanomaterials for photothermal therapy (PTT) to treat conditions like cancer. PTT is a technique in which localized hyperthermia is induced by converting light energy to heat, to selectively destroy the diseased tissue. This method has been shown to be very promising as it is minimally invasive and presents reduced complications as compared to chemotherapy or surgery. Gold nanorods (GNRs) have been used before as the PTT agent. This project deals with a novel way of delivering GNRs to biological cells by encapsulation of an ensemble of GNRs in a biodegradable polymeric nanocarrier. The PTT efficacy of this new approach will be compared with the equivalent dose of individual unencapsulated GNRs. A systematic analysis of cellular uptake, intracellular dynamics and localization, and the protein corona (adsorbed protein layer) formed in relevance to the movements of the nanoparticles inside biological cells will be undertaken. Thereto, advanced optical imaging techniques combining incoherent fluorescence and coherent second harmonic signals will be developed. This research will ultimately result in a better understanding about the design and use of GNRs in the human body for the purpose of PTT, and will form a basis for future in vivo applications in areas such as cancer therapy.
Date:1 Oct 2015 →  30 Sep 2017
Keywords:CONDUCTING POLYMERS, CONJUGATED POLYMERS, POLYMER NETWORKS
Disciplines:Organic chemistry, Process engineering, Polymeric materials