Gold nanoparticles for medical applications
The group conducts research on the use of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as a means of treating cancer using externally applied radio frequency waves, that is non-invasive for the patient. Under the right conditions, the GNPs can heat up when exposed to electromagnetic radiation and subsequently kill nearby cancer cells. We use analytical and numerical models to investigate what conditions may enable the safe destruction of GNP-treated tumours, without damaging nearby healthy tissues.
Metallic nanoparticles have been proposed for several medical applications due to their electromagnetic properties when submerged in biological tissues. Under exposure to applied electromagnetic radiation, a localized field enhancement can be generated within the nanoparticle and around its immediate surroundings. In biomedicine, this effect can be exploited as a contrast agent for imaging purposes for e.g. cancer diagnosis, or as localized heat sources for e.g. cancer treatment.
The research is focused on the latter application: using gold nanoparticles for cancer therapy, in particular when the applied radiation is radiofrequency waves. The long wavelengths of radiofrequency radiation has longer penetration depth into tissues than optical frequencies, allowing access to deeper tumour locations. The group is working towards improving our understanding of the physical mechanisms that can enable radiofrequency heating of gold nanoparticles in human tissues. The methods used to develop such a theoretical framework are mainly analytical modelling and numerical simulations. Recently, the group has been working on modeling ligand-coated GNPs in order to evaluate the effect that the ligands have on the electromagnetic energy absorption, along with some multiple particle absorption models and heating effects.
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