Nanoparticle-enabled terahertz imaging for cancer diagnosis.
This paper demonstrates the principle of the nanoparticle-contrast-agent-enabled terahertz imaging (CATHI) technique, which yields a dramatic sensitivity of the differential signal from cancer cells with nanoparticles. The terahertz (THz) reflection signal increased beam by 20% in the cancer cells with nanoparticles of gold nano-rods (GNRs) upon their irradiation with a infrared (IR) laser, due to the temperature rise of water in cancer cells by surface plasma ploritons. In the differential mode, the THz signal from the cancer cells with GNRs was 30 times higher than that from the cancer cells without GNRs. As the high sensitivity is achieved by the surface plasmon resonance through IR laser irradiation, the resolution of the CATHI technique can be as good as a few microns and THz endoscopy becomes more feasible.
Oh
Seung Jae
SJ
Laboratory for Terahertz Biophotonics, Department of Physics, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea.
Kang
Jinyoung
J
Maeng
Inhee
I
Suh
Jin-Suck
JS
Huh
Yong-Min
YM
Haam
Seungjoo
S
Son
Joo-Hiuk
JH
D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003287:Contrast Media; D004867:Equipment Design; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007834:Lasers; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation
D003287:Contrast Media; D006046:Gold