uri physics colloquium

Gold and Magnetic Nanoparticles for Imaging and Cancer Therapy

James F. Hainfeld, PhD, President, founder and chief Research Scientist of Nanoprobes

abstract

Nanoparticles exhibit novel properties and may be useful for enhancing detection in electron microscopy, light microscopy, diagnostics, and imaging in animals and humans.  They also provide new approaches to treating diseases, and in particular cancer.  For example, gold highly absorbs X-rays leading to additional dose being deposited in their vicinity. Incurable glioma brain tumors targeted with gold nanoparticles were shown to be completely eradicated (in mice) by this approach.