Linear PEG (left) and cyclic PEG (right) around gold nanoparticle

From bioengineers at the Hokkaido University: “we showed that the drastic enhancement in the dispersion stability of AuNPs [gold nanoparticles] by physisorption of c-PEG [cyclic poly (ethylene glycol)]. This methodology allows for AuNPs dispersions to be frozen, lyophilized, heated, and exposed to physiological conditions with even better stability than the most commonly used chemisorption of HS–PEG–OMe [thiolatedf PEG, in which sulfur takes the place of oxygen in the molecule]. . . .. The combination of the dispersion stability against high temperature and physiological conditions, coupled with the accumulation in tumor, would be most suitable to future applications toward photothermal therapy using gold nanoparticles and nanorods.”  MORE

Image Credit: Yubo Wang, Takuya Yamamoto