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Applications of Optically Controlled Gold Nanostructures in Biomedical Engineering
Pisrut Phummirat1,2, Nicholas Mann1,2, Daryl Preece1,2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States.
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
|February 8, 2021
Summary
Optical tweezers utilize gold nanomaterials for precise manipulation in bioengineering. This review covers applications in drug delivery, biosensing, and mechanobiology, highlighting progress and future directions.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophysics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Optical tweezers (OT) are crucial for microscopic studies.
- Biomedical engineering leverages engineering principles for biological and medical challenges.
- Gold nanoparticles offer high polarizability and low cytotoxicity for OT applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress of optically trapped gold nanomaterials in bioengineering.
- To explore applications in nano/biomaterials, microfluidics, drug delivery, biosensing, biophotonics, imaging, and mechanobiology.
- To discuss current challenges and future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Introduction to optical trapping principles.
- Review of existing literature on gold nanomaterials in bioengineering applications.
- Analysis of research progress, challenges, and future outlook.
Main Results:
- Gold nanomaterials are effective tools for OT-based micromanipulation.
- Significant advancements have been made in applying OT gold nanomaterials across various bioengineering fields.
- Key areas of application include drug delivery, biosensing, and single-molecule biophysics.
Conclusions:
- Optically trapped gold nanomaterials show great promise in advancing bioengineering.
- Continued research is needed to overcome current challenges and unlock full potential.
- Future directions involve novel applications in imaging, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
