Long-range nanoparticle surface-energy-transfer ruler for monitoring photothermal therapy response

A recent gold nanotechnology-driven approach opens up a new possibility for the destruction of cancer cells through photothermal therapy. Ultimately, photothermal therapy may enter into clinical therapy and, as a result, there is an urgent need for techniques to monitor the tumor response to therapy. Driven by this need, a nanoparticle surface-energy-transfer (NSET) approach to monitor the photothermal therapy process by measuring a simple fluorescence intensity change is reported. The fluorescence intensity change is due to the light-controlled photothermal release of single-stranded DNA/RNA via dehybridization during the therapy process. Time-dependent results show that just by measuring the fluorescence intensity change, the photothermal therapy response during the therapy process can be monitored. The possible mechanism and operating principle of the NSET assay are discussed. Ultimately, this NSET assay could have enormous potential applications in rapid, on-site monitoring of the photothermal therapy process, which is critical to providing effective treatment of cancer and multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.