Multifunctional ORMOSIL and PAA Nanoparticles Anurag Gupta 1 , K.V. R Rao 1 , Paula Pera 2 , Shouyan Jason Wang 3 , Joseph R. Missert 1 , Tymish Ohulchanskyy 4 , Indrajit Roy 4 , Janet Morgan 2 , Paras N. Prasad 4 , Raoul Kopelman 3 and Ravindra K. Pandey 1,4,* 1 Photodynamic Therapy Center, Cell Stress Biology, 2 Department of Dermatology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, 14263, 3 Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1055, 4 The Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, Department of Nuclear Medicine, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14221 ABSTRACT Various problems arising during molecular imaging of different fluoroprobes and metabolites used in PDT can be circumvented by focusing on multifunctional therapy agents. Thus an effective photo sensitizer coupled with other useful roles to play in PDT treatment make nanoparticles as a good vehicle for different delivery assuming multifunctional roles not only in PDT but also as therapeutic agents for targeted delivery. A new approach is the involving use of 100 nm NPs as photo sensitizers and/or imaging agents. In our Lab., we employ two such NPs and are ORMOSIL (organically Modified Silica) and PAA (Polyacrylamide) which are found to be biologically very safe without disturbing the therapeutic value. The size of the nanoparticles determined by TEM and Dynamic Light Scattering are ~30 nm. These NPs are taken up in conjunction with cyanine dye at near infra red as it has been reported in literature that encapsulated NPs shows very low singlet oxygen production compared with the post-loaded NPs though the reasons are not yet clear. Therefore, we investigated the idea of post-loading or adsorbing vis-à-vis encapsulation. Keywords: Nanoparticles, PDT, Photosensitizer, Optical imaging, Photo-bleaching, ORMOSIL, PAA 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Nanomaterials Many areas of science, engineering, medicine are facing continual evolution in needs related to inter- disciplinary approach. Nanomaterials bring cross-disciplinary perspectives to bear on these areas, in which scientists can work for convergence for empowerment of humankind. The Zeitgeist of this article is to include representatives of other disciplines among its supporters, and aims at dissemination towards, and collaboration with, newly developing areas. The scientific and public resonance of the nanomaterials application domain is far-reaching. The application of nano-oncology and information understanding technologies to, among many other examples are photo-thermal therapy and photosensitization. The computer science of relevance to nanomaterials includes high performance computing (e.g. for theoretical modelling), distributed computing, and dealing with massive databases - very often image databases. The interface areas with telecommunications and software engineering are now so close that they cannot be separated. Information retrieval and cognitive science are strongly represented. There is a continuing perception, however, of a gap between the laboratory research and eventual real application. Those who are pioneering new approaches in distributed computing, modelling, multiresolution vision modelling, new information delivery technologies, and who are active in other fields of computer science, statistics and other disciplines, are very rarely doing such work with nanomaterials in mind. Both nano and other inter-disciplinary sciences have much to gain from collaborative linkages giving impetus to translational research. In medical applications, it is important to understand how modern biomaterials can simulate the body’s natural ability to heal and also a fast growing area of materials that mimics biological function e.g. natural enzymes. The trend in Condensed Matter Physics towards probing matter on shorter and shorter scales has naturally focused our attention to the microscopic aspects relevant at the nanometer scale. Scanning probes have led this revolution, by extending classical characterization techniques (such as indentation testing) to the nanometer scale, Photodynamic Therapy: Back to the Future, edited by David H. Kessel, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7380, 73805H · © 2009 SPIE · CCC code: 1605-7422/09/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.822939 Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7380 73805H-1