Gold nanorod conjugate increases contrast of molecular cancer imaging

(Nanowerk News) Researchers from Gilan University and Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, produced a new nanodrug as contrast-increasing agent for target-imaging of breast cancer ("Gold nanorods-bombesin conjugate as a potential targeted imaging agent for detection of breast cancer").
The nanodrug enables early diagnosis of breast cancer tissue and the treatment of the disease.
The nanodrug has high efficiency and it possesses noticeable optical stability in blood. The results showed that the nanodrug is nontoxic on cell cultivation conditions. Results of the research have proved the high potential of the product at animal model level.
According to the results obtained in this research, the produced nanodrug is very powerful in targeting breast cancer cells. The drug is highly absorbed by cancer cells, and the rate of absorption increases as time goes on. It can be concluded from life distribution results that the compound has the power to target breast cancer cells on in vivo conditions, and it can be used as a targeting nanodrug in imaging of breast cancer.
Gold nanorods have very high absorbance, and their sorption spectrum is adjustable at any wavelength inside the infrared domain. On the other hand, radiation of infrared does not harm healthy tissues. When gold nanorods receive the beam inside the tissues, they effectively convert the beam into heat, and miniature explosions begin. Therefore, they act as distinguishing agent in photo-acoustic imaging.
Source: INIC