Soft Matter Nanoscale Agents for Optical Imaging (hosted by FIP Faculty Dr. Adam Wax)

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

1:30pm | 125 Hudson Hall

Presenter

Michael Therien , William R. Kennan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry

This Optics Seminar is hosted by our FIP faculty member, Dr. Adam Wax, Theodore Kennedy Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Formed through cooperative self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymers and highly conjugated, (porphinato)metal-based near infrared (NIR) fluorophores, nanoscale NIR-emissive polymersomes (70 – 200 nm diameter polymer vesicles) define a family of soft matter compositions that are ideally suited for in vivo optical imaging and high sensitivity in vitro diagnostic applications.  Membrane incorporation of a wide range of related multi-porphyrinic fluorophores enables emission energy modulation over a broad domain of the visible and near infrared spectrum (600-950 nm).  Long-wavelength optical excitation of such assemblies generates intense, highly localized emissive signals capable of penetrating through the dense tumor tissue of live animals.  Excited-state transient dynamical studies provide insights into how NIR-emissive polymersomes can be further optimized for in vivo deep-tissue fluorescence-based imaging.  Conjugation of cell surface receptor specific peptides or antibodies to the polymersome surface gives rise to emissive nanoscale vesicles that can not only be selectively targeted, but to nanoscale constructs that detect specific biological markers with exquisite sensitivity.