A functionalised particle, wherein the particle has a first optical spectral signature in a first structural configuration of the particle and a second optical spectral signature in a second structural configuration of the particle.

Disclosed herein, inter alia, are compositions and methods of modulating macrophage activity. Provided is a method of treating a disease (e.g., a macrophage-associated disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, or a cancer of an organ in the intraperitoneal cavity), the method including intraperitoneally administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a nanoparticle composition or pharmaceutical composition. Provided is a silica nanoparticle non-covalently bound to a plurality of nucleic acids, wherein the silica nanoparticle has a net positive charge in the absence of the plurality of nucleic acids. Provided is a pharmaceutical composition including a nanoparticle composition as described herein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

An object is to provide an SWCNT slurry for bioimaging with reduced toxicity that causes no aggregation of semiconductor SWCNTs, no accumulation in a specific site when administered to a living organism, and no clogging in blood vessels such as those in the lungs. In order to achieve the above-described object, a semiconductor single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) slurry for bioimaging according to the present invention includes: semiconductor SWCNTs having an average particle size of less than 10 nm; and a dispersant composed of an amphiphilic substance that coats the surfaces of the SWCNTs.

Corona Phase Molecular Recognition (CoPhMoRe) utilizing a template heteropolymer adsorbed onto and templated by a nanoparticle surface to recognize a specific target analyte can be used for macromolecular analytes, including proteins.

A nanoprobe system for in vivo use comprises a plasmonic-active nanoparticle and a molecular probe system. The molecular probe system comprises an oligonucleotide capable of forming a stem-loop configuration, having a first end and a second end, wherein the oligonucleotide is immobilized to the plasmonic-active nanoparticle at the first end and labeled with a Raman reporter at the second end, a placeholder strand at least partially bound to the oligonucleotide, and an attachment mechanism for attachment to a cell membrane.

Compositions and articles comprising diamond particles, such as nanodiamond based pharmaceutical compositions, are generally provided. In some embodiments, the articles and methods comprising (nano)diamond particles may be useful for monitoring and/or treating a disease (e.g., in a subject).

The disclosure provides a method of forming carbon dots, including admixing carbon powder with sulfuric acid and nitric acid and heating the carbon powder mixture to reflux to oxidize the carbon powder. The method further includes isolating and purifying the carbon dots. The disclosure further provides applications of the carbon dots for diagnostic analysis (such as bone analysis), fibrillation inhibition, and drug delivery.

Fluorescent bimetallic nanocomposites (M.sub.1@M.sub.2-NCs) of silver-gold (Ag@Au-NC) and silver-platinum (Ag@Pt-NC) are prepared by reducing silver nitrate (AgNO.sub.3) on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) using sodium borohydride (NaBH.sub.4) at alkaline pH=11, in the presence of a lysozyme that acts as a template, and in the presence of a capping and stabilizing agent. The biocompatible bimetallic nanocomposites (M.sub.1@M.sub.2-NCs) have promising multifunctional applications (cell imaging, bio-sensing, therapeutics) observed by both in vitro as well as in vivo experiments. The fluorescent bimetallic nanocomposites (M.sub.1@M.sub.2-NCs) of silver-gold (Ag@Au-NC) and silver-platinum (Ag@Pt-NC) may be useful as an alternative nanomedicine in cancer theranostics applications.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) comprising amines on the organic linker can be used for cell targeting. In particular, primary amine groups represent one of the most versatile chemical moieties for conjugation to biologically relevant molecules, including antibodies and enzymes. Different chemical conjugation schemes can be used to conjugate biological molecules to the amino functionality on the organic linker. For example, carbodiimide chemistry can be used to link a primary amine to available carboxyl groups on the protein. For example, sulfhydryl crosslinking chemistry can be used via Traut's reagent scheme. As a demonstration of the invention, the ability of EpCAM antibody-targeted MOFs to bind to a human epithelial cell line (A549), a common target for imaging studies, was confirmed with confocal microscopy.

In one aspect, radioactive nanoparticles are described herein. In some embodiments, a radioactive nanoparticle described herein comprises a metal nanoparticle core, an outer metal shell disposed over the metal nanoparticle core, and a metallic radioisotope disposed within the metal nanoparticle core or within the outer metal shell. In some cases, the radioactive nanoparticle has a size of about 30-500 nm in three dimensions. In addition, in some embodiments, the radioactive nanoparticle further comprises an inner metal shell disposed between the metal nanoparticle core and the outer metal shell. The metal nanoparticle core, outer metal shell, and inner metal shell of the radioactive nanoparticle can have various metallic compositions.