title: In vivo tumor targeting and spectroscopic detection with surface-enhanced Raman nanoparticle tags.
abstract: We describe biocompatible and nontoxic nanoparticles for in vivo tumor targeting and detection based on pegylated gold nanoparticles and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Colloidal gold has been safely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis for 50 years, and has recently been found to amplify the efficiency of Raman scattering by 14-15 orders of magnitude. Here we show that large optical enhancements can be achieved under in vivo conditions for tumor detection in live animals. An important finding is that small-molecule Raman reporters such as organic dyes were not displaced but were stabilized by thiol-modified polyethylene glycols. These pegylated SERS nanoparticles were considerably brighter than semiconductor quantum dots with light emission in the near-infrared window. When conjugated to tumor-targeting ligands such as single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) antibodies, the conjugated nanoparticles were able to target tumor biomarkers such as epidermal growth factor receptors on human cancer cells and in xenograft tumor models.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, 101 Woodruff Circle, Suite 2001, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Ximei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Xiang-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Dominic O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.forename: Qiqin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yin-Goen
authors.forename: Georgia Z
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dong M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: May D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuming
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles; D010316:Particle Size; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*