Here we will discuss how our discovery of the effect of plasmon resonance coupling in imaging of cancer cells using immunotargeted gold nanoparticles has led to development of a new approach toward detection of micrometastases in vivo. In our initial experiments, we showed that labeling of cancer cells using gold nanoparticles targeted to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is associated with a progressive change in nanoparticle colors from green to red-NIR due to nanoparticle aggregation through the process of cellular endocytosis. We demonstrated in animal models of a metastatic head and neck cancer that this effect in combination with photoacoustic imaging can be used in detection of micrometastasis as small as just ca. 30 cells in vivo. In this talk we will pay close attention to (i) the importance of nanoparticle surface modifications and quality control for in vivo applications, (ii) the connection between technology development and specific unmet clinical need, and (iii) critical aspects of clinical translation.

Plasmonic ruler: From cells to detection of micrometastasis in patients

251st National Meeting (2016)

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