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Gold Nanocages for Biomedical Applications†

  1. S. E. Skrabalak1,
  2. J. Chen1,
  3. L. Au1,
  4. X. Lu1,
  5. X. Li2,
  6. Y. Xia1

Article first published online: 17 OCT 2007

DOI: 10.1002/adma.200701972

Issue

Advanced Materials

Advanced Materials

Special Issue: Special Section on Bionanotechnology

Volume 19, Issue 20, pages 3177–3184, October, 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Skrabalak, S., Chen, J., Au, L., Lu, X., Li, X. and Xia, Y. (2007), Gold Nanocages for Biomedical Applications. Advanced Materials, 19: 3177–3184. doi: 10.1002/adma.200701972

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (USA)

  2. 2

    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (USA)

  1. †

    This work was supported in part by a Director's Pioneer Award (5DP1OD000798-Y.X.) and a grant (R01-CA120480-X.D.L.) from NIH, a grant (DMR-0451788-Y.X.) and Career Award (X.D.L.) from NSF, a fellowship from David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Y.X.), and a DARPA-DURINT subcontract from Harvard University (Y.X.). Y.X. is an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2000–2005) and a Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar (2002–2007). L.A. thanks the Center for Nanotechnology at UW for an IGERT Student Fellowship jointly sponsored by NSF and NCI. Part of the work was performed at the Nanotech User Facility (NTUF) of the UW Center for Nanotechnology, a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) funded by NSF.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 17 OCT 2007
  2. Article first published online: 17 OCT 2007

Funded by

  • NIH
  • NSF. Grant Number: DMR-0451788-Y.X.
  • David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  • Harvard University

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Keywords:

  • Biomedical applications;
  • Gold;
  • Metal nanoparticles;
  • Surface plasmon resonance

Graphical Abstract

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Gold nanocages represent a novel class of biocompatible nanostructures, with potential cancer diagnostic and therapy properties intrinsic to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR). They are prepared by the galvanic replacement reaction between Ag nanocubes and HAuCl4 solution, and their SPR peak position can be precisely tuned into the near-infrared. Recent advances in the use of Au nanocages as optical contrast enhancement and photothermal therapy agents are discussed.

Abstract

Nanostructured materials provide a promising platform for early cancer detection and treatment. Here we highlight recent advances in the synthesis and use of Au nanocages for such biomedical applications. Gold nanocages represent a novel class of nanostructures, which can be prepared via a remarkably simple route based on the galvanic replacement reaction between Ag nanocubes and HAuCl4. The Au nanocages have a tunable surface plasmon resonance peak that extends into the near-infrared, where the optical attenuation caused by blood and soft tissue is essentially negligible. They are also biocompatible and present a well-established surface for easy functionalization. We have tailored the scattering and absorption cross-sections of Au nanocages for use in optical coherence tomography and photothermal treatment, respectively. Our preliminary studies show greatly improved spectroscopic image contrast for tissue phantoms containing Au nanocages. Our most recent results also demonstrate the photothermal destruction of breast cancer cells in vitro by using immuno-targeted Au nanocages as an effective photo-thermal transducer. These experiments suggest that Au nanocages may be a new class of nanometer-sized agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

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