Theranostic nanoplatforms for imaging, targeting, and image-guided drug delivery

In this talk, I will present our recent work on molecular imaging and image-guided drug delivery of cancer and other diseases with a variety of nanomaterials (http://mi.wisc.edu/). The primary imaging techniques used in these studies are positron emission tomography (PET), optical imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three of the major molecular targets that we are investigating are CD105 (i.e. endoglin), VEGFR, and integrin α_vβ₃. The nanomaterials that will be discussed in this presentation include nano-graphene oxide, zinc oxide nanomaterials, micelles, silica-based nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, among many others. A few representative side projects will also be presented, such as the facile synthesis of PET/MRI dual-modality agents. Many of these nanoplatforms hold promising potential for theranostic applications. (author)