Plasmonic nanoparticles such as gold, silver, or their alloys are interesting nanomaterials for application in nanomedicine therapeutics and diagnostics. In this talk, I will briefly introducing plasmonic nanoparticle characteristics, then discuss recent developments in this field at Polytechnique.

Among the developments I will describe is a new method for delivering exogenous biomolecules into targeted cells using an ultrafast laser and plasmonic nanoparticles. We have used the technique of plasmon-mediated laser nanosurgery to effectively perform gene transfection in various living cells and delivery of biomolecules in vivo in animal models for ophthalmic applications. I will share some of our recent results on laser trigger release of antitumor drugs from lipid nanoparticles containing gold nanoparticles.

Moreover, we have synthesized alloy nanoparticles using an improved seeded-growth approach. We use these spectrally distinctive plasmonic nanoparticles  as biomarkers to perform quantitative multiplexed 3D imaging of cells and tissues. This technology has been commercialized by our spin-off company, Vega BioImaging, to assist pathologists with their diagnostics.

Our plasmonic-based techniques show promise as innovative tools for basic research in biology and medicine, and could be adapted for use as therapeutic, diagnostic, and theranostic clinical tools.