Nanorod-induced hyperthermia in leukemia cancer cells: Theory and application

INOR 499

Travis L. Jennings, travis.jennings@utoronto.ca1, Tanya Hauck1, and Warren C. W. Chan, warren.chan@utoronto.ca2. (1) Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St. E, Room 407, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada, (2) Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 4 Taddle Creek Road, Resebrugh Building 407 and 421, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada
Gold nanostructures of varying shape, size and dimension have been demonstrative of nanomaterial-directed hyperthermal therapy; a therapy well-suited for the targeted destruction of cancerous tumors in the body. This is a medical therapy in which NIR lasers may be used to heat nanomaterials targeted within a cell to cause targeted internal heating and cell death. There are multiple varieties of different gold nanostructures, however, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. This research explores competing nanomaterials for hyperthermal therapy, looking at their relevant optical properties, with a focus on gold nanorods. The thermal heating of nanorods in media and within leukemia cells is measured experimentally using a NIR camera and the mechanisms of cell death are elucidated as a function of cell type, nanorod concentration, and laser power. This research explores the fundamental physics of nanostructure - light interactions and relates this to actual experiments in nanorod-induced hyperthermal cell death.
 

Nanoscience - Characterization and Applications
9:00 AM-1:00 PM, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 219, Oral

Division of Inorganic Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008