Prof. Younan Xia and his team invented gold nanocages (see below) for therapeutic applications. In a review1 published in 2010, he explained how gold nanoparticles have gained an increasing interest due to their plasmonic characteristics. In particular, the metal can convert light into heat. This heat can be used for different applications, such as selectively releasing the drug contents of the nanocarriers once they have reached their target, or for photothermal therapy, where the heat generated by the nanoparticles destroy the cancer cells to which they are targeted.
1Cobley CM, Au L, Chen J, Xia Y. Targeting gold nanocages to cancer cells for photothermal destruction and drug delivery. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 7: 577-87 (2010)
1Cobley CM, Au L, Chen J, Xia Y. Targeting gold nanocages to cancer cells for photothermal destruction and drug delivery. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 7: 577-87 (2010)
