It is important to measure the temperature of magnetic nanoparticles during hyperthermia therapy to develop safe practices. We theoretically demonstrate a method for measuring the temperature of magnetic nanoparticles using induction coils and nanoparticle magnetization harmonics. A geometrically decoupled sensing coil is described that enhances the sensitivity to small amounts of iron and also could possibly be used to eliminate sensing challenges created by the high-powered hyperthermia drive field.

We prepared organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) nanoparticles with internal functional groups and mesoporosity, suitable for the incorporation of modalities for both MRI imaging and cancer treatment by neutron capture therapy using gadolinium-157 nuclei. These modalities were incorporated by preparing ORMOSIL nanoparticles with reactive functional groups throughout the nanoparticle body, followed by their conversion into the metal chelating moieties inside the nanoparticles.

A superparamagnetic Janus nanocomposite (SJNC) of polystyrene/Fe3O4@SiO2 was designed and developed with dual surface bearing functional groups for medical diagnosis and treatment. Folic acid (FA) and doxorubicin (DOX) were conjugated stepwise to the surfaces. SJNCs were found to enable simultaneous cell-targeted drug delivery via pH-responsive release mechanism.

Liposomal drug delivery products have been already commercialized in tumor therapeutics, which can realize passive tumor targeting via enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect resulting from the leaky tumor vasculature. To control drug release out of the liposomes, thermo-sensitive liposomes (TSLs) have been developed so that an abrupt exposure of highly concentrated drugs to tumor tissues was enabled by locally treated thermal stimuli. As interests upon TSL have increased along with ongoing clinical trials, some types of TSLs with different physical properties in pharmacokinetics and the mechanism of drug release have been formulated. However, there are few protocols established with a desirable heat source to maximize the efficacy of different TSLs as treating tumors. In this study, we examined different protocols for the most effective application of different TSLs to tumor therapy. First, we examined if enhancing the accumulation of TSLs within tumor tissues prior to bursting drugs out of TSLs could lead to increasing anti-tumor efficacy. Second, we compared the efficiency of two different heat sources on the use of TSL, a warm water bath (42°C) and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Our study suggests that the specified protocol be setup for TSLs with different physical properties to optimally function in tumor therapies.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a sensitive and reproducible vibrational spectroscopic technique used to detect and characterize molecules near the surface of noble metals like Au, Ag, Pt, Cu, etc. SERS enhances Raman signals through light-induced plasmonic vibrations occurring on irregular metal surfaces and localized electromagnetic augmentation. To better define nano-scale regions of the Raman signal enhancement, we generated gold nanoparticles with a unique multi-branched configuration along with surface-adsorbed fluorescent reporter molecules. The reporter molecules included a set of near-infra red active fluorescent dyes IR820 (green cyanine, photo electronic dye), DTTC (3, 3'-diethylthiatricarbocyanine iodide) and DTDC (3, 3'- diethylthiadicarbocyanine iodide). We employed a one-pot synthesis method in order to generate a stellate configuration in gold nanoparticles through the reduction of HAuCl4 with Good’s buffer, HEPES, at pH 7.4 and room temperature. A cell viability assay was performed with normal esophageal cells exposed to the multi-branched gold nanoparticles and SERS molecules to assess their toxicity. Our results demonstrate the capacity of multibranched gold nanoparticles linked to Raman reporter molecules to generate distinct signature spectra and, with the exception of the gold nanoparticles functionalized with DTTC, remain non-toxic to normal esophageal cells.

Breast cancer metastasis to bone continues to be a major clinical problem, and patient-to-patient variability in rates of disease progression and metastasis complicate treatment even further. This may be due to differences in the cancer cells, the osteoclasts, or the pre-metastatic niche, but all of these contribute to proteolytic remodeling necessary for osteolytic lesion establishment, primarily through secretion of cathepsin K, the most powerful human collagenase. There is debate about the relative contributions of breast cancer cells and osteoclasts and synergism between the two in altering the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the colonized bone, as these are difficult to parse with animal models. To quantify the relative contributions of breast cancer cells and osteoclasts in bone resorption, we have been developing engineered bone microenvironment tissue surrogates by adapting a poly(ester urethane) urea system embedded with microbone particles. Here, we report their use with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and RAW264.7 derived osteoclasts, to provide temporal, multiscale reporters of bone resorption that can be measured non-destructively: 1) collagen degradation measured by C-terminal collagen fragment release, 2) mineral dissolution by measuring calcium released with the calcium arsenazo assay, and also show their beneficial effects in upregulating cathepsin K expression compared to tissue culture polystyrene controls. These more natural derived bone surrogates may be useful tools in mimicking bone metastatic niche and determining differences between proteolytic activity of different patients’ tumor and bone resident cells in a controlled manner.

The main objective of this study was to develop a polymeric drug delivery system for tamoxifen (TMX), intended to be injectable Eudragit® nanoparticles (NP) for breast cancer treatment. TMX-Eudragit-NP were characterized in terms of particle size, surface morphology, drug physical state by using photon correlation spectrometry (PCS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The entrapment efficiency (%EE) and in vitro drug release studies were estimated spectrophotometrically by UV-vis technique. The cell toxicity assay was performed in 4T1 cell line using MTT test. TMX-Eudragit-NP showed a maximum entrapment efficient of 23%. The size measurements were compared with the empty nanoparticles and showed values of TMX-Eudragit-NP = 133 ± 30 nm nm, and empty- NP = 273± 50 nm. The zeta potential of particles was +65 and +38 mV for TMX-Eudragit-NP and empty-NP respectively. FTIR studies did not indicate changes in chemical structure or polymer-drug interaction. The cytotoxicity against the 4T1 cells was affected significantly by the released amount of TMX, while empty-NP exhibit no significant cytotoxicity against mouse breast cancer cells (4T1 cell line).