Unveiling Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Triazolylferrocenyl Dendrimers: Producing Non-Traditional Intrinsically Green Fluorescent Vesosomes for Nanotheranostics.

Dendrimers and supramolecular chemistry continue to fascinate researchers due to the endless unrevealed potential of their combination. This study investigates the self-assembly process of a series of hydrophobic triazolylferrocenyl dendrimers in aqueous medium. Deep investigation through NMR spectroscopy, absorption UV-vis spectroscopy along with theoretical simulations demonstrates that the ferrocenyl moieties interact intramolecularly and intermolecularly driving the self-assembly process. Data obtained by DLS, NTA, SEM, TEM, and EF-TEM demonstrate that these dendrimers, in water, spontaneously self-assemble through a hierarchical process. The dendrimers first self-assemble into uniform nanovesicles, which in turn self-assemble into larger vesosomes. The resulting vesosomes emit green non-traditional intrinsic fluorescence, which is a property that emerged from the self-assembled architectures. The vesosomes are efficiently uptaken by cancer cells and induce significant cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell line MCF-7, up to the submicromolar concentration. Positive dendritic effects are identified in the fluorescence intensity and in the cytotoxic activity of the vesosomes, which follow the trend G0-9Fc < G1-27Fc < G2-81Fc. This work showcases the remarkable potential of combining the two dynamic fields of dendrimers and supramolecular chemistry, which resulted in green fluorescent vesosomes capable of performing the dual role of cell imaging and killing, with potential applications in nanotheranostics.

Theranostics Using MCM-41-Based Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: Integrating Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Novel Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Treatment.

Advanced breast cancer remains a significant oncological challenge, requiring new approaches to improve clinical outcomes. This study investigated an innovative theranostic agent using the MCM-41-NH2-DTPA-Gd3⁺-MIH nanomaterial, which combined MRI imaging for detection and a novel chemotherapy agent (MIH 2.4Bl) for treatment. The nanomaterial was based on the mesoporous silica type, MCM-41, and was optimized for drug delivery via functionalization with amine groups and conjugation with DTPA and complexation with Gd3+. MRI sensitivity was enhanced by using gadolinium-based contrast agents, which are crucial in identifying early neoplastic lesions. MIH 2.4Bl, with its unique mesoionic structure, allows effective interactions with biomolecules that facilitate its intracellular antitumoral activity. Physicochemical characterization confirmed the nanomaterial synthesis and effective drug incorporation, with 15% of MIH 2.4Bl being adsorbed. Drug release assays indicated that approximately 50% was released within 8 h. MRI phantom studies demonstrated the superior imaging capability of the nanomaterial, with a relaxivity significantly higher than that of the commercial agent Magnevist. In vitro cellular cytotoxicity assays, the effectiveness of the nanomaterial in killing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells was demonstrated at an EC50 concentration of 12.6 mg/mL compared to an EC50 concentration of 68.9 mg/mL in normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). In vivo, MRI evaluation in a 4T1 syngeneic mouse model confirmed its efficacy as a contrast agent. This study highlighted the theranostic capabilities of MCM-41-NH2-DTPA-Gd3⁺-MIH and its potential to enhance breast cancer management.

Six country vignettes: Strengthening radiotherapy and theranostics.

BACKGROUND: For cancer patient populations worldwide, the synchronous scale-up of diagnostics and treatments yields meaningful gains in survival and quality of life. Among advanced cancer therapies, radiotherapy (RT) and theranostics are key to achieving practical, high-quality, and personalized precision medicine - targeting disease manifestations of individual patients and broad populations, alike. Aiming to learn from one another across different world regions, the six country vignettes presented here depict both challenges and victories in de novo establishment or improvement of RT and theranostics infrastructure. METHODS: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convened global RT and theranostics experts from diverse world regions and contexts to identify relevant challenges and report progress in their own six countries: Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Jordan, Mongolia, and South Africa. These accounts are collated, compared, and contrasted herein. RESULTS: Common challenges persist which could be more strategically assessed and addressed. A quantifiable discrepancy entails personnel. The estimated radiation oncologists (ROs), nuclear medicine physicians (NMPs), and medical physicists (MPs for RT and nuclear medicine) per million inhabitants in the six collective countries respectively range between 2.69-38.00 ROs, 1.00-26.00 NMPs, and 0.30-3.45 MPs (Table 1), reflecting country-to-country inequities which largely match World Bank country-income stratifications. CONCLUSION: Established goals for RT and nuclear medicine advancement worldwide have proven elusive. The pace of progress could be hastened by enhanced approaches such as more sustainably phased implementation; better multinational networking to share lessons learned; routine quality and safety audits; as well as capacity building employing innovative, resource-sparing, cutting-edge technologic approaches. Bodies such as ministries of health, professional societies, and the IAEA shall serve critical roles in convening and coordinating more innovative RT and theranostics translational research, including expanding nuanced global database metrics to inform, reach, and potentiate milestones most meaningfully. POLICY SUMMARY: Aligned with WHO 25×25 NCDs target; WHA70.12 and WHA76.5 resolutions.

Next-generation of smart dressings: Integrating multiplexed sensors and theranostic functions.

Non-healing wounds represent a significant burden for healthcare systems and society, giving rise to severe economic and human issues. Currently, the use of dressings and visual assessment represent the primary and standard care for wounds. Conventional dressings, like cotton gauze, provide only passive physical protection. Besides, they end up paradoxically hampering the wound-healing process by producing tissue damage and pain when removed during routine check-ups. In response to these limitations, researchers, engineers, and technologists are developing innovative dressings that incorporate advanced diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities, coined as "smart dressings". Now, the maturation of smart dressing is bringing them closer to real-life applications, leading to an exciting new generation of these devices. The next generation of smart dressings is capable of monitoring in real-time multiple biomarkers while including pro-healing capabilities in a single platform. Such multiplexed and theranostic smart dressings are expected to offer a timely biomarker-directed diagnosis of non-healing wounds while enabling rapid, automated, and personalized treatments of infection and chronicity. Herein, we provide an insightful overview of these advantageous devices, delving into the diverse spectrum of possible engineering strategies. This encompasses the use of electrochemical and optical platforms with diverse multiplexing architectures, such as multi-zone sensing arrays and multi-layered devices. Open or closed-loop theranostic mechanisms using various stimuli-responsive materials that could be internally or externally controlled are also included. Finally, a critical discussion on the main challenges and future directions of smart dressings is also offered.

Deciphering the Functional Status of Breast Cancers through the Analysis of Their Extracellular Vesicles.

Breast cancer (BC) accounts for the highest incidence of tumor-related mortality among women worldwide, justifying the growing search for molecular tools for the early diagnosis and follow-up of BC patients under treatment. Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous nanocompartments produced by all human cells, including tumor cells. Since minimally invasive methods collect EVs, which represent reservoirs of signals for cell communication, these particles have attracted the interest of many researchers aiming to improve BC screening and treatment. Here, we analyzed the cargoes of BC-derived EVs, both proteins and nucleic acids, which yielded a comprehensive list of potential markers divided into four distinct categories, namely, (i) modulation of aggressiveness and growth; (ii) preparation of the pre-metastatic niche; (iii) epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; and (iv) drug resistance phenotype, further classified according to their specificity and sensitivity as vesicular BC biomarkers. We discuss the therapeutic potential of and barriers to the clinical implementation of EV-based tests, including the heterogeneity of EVs and the available technologies for analyzing their content, to present a consistent, reproducible, and affordable set of markers for further evaluation.

Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles in Biomedical Sciences: Properties, Current Trends, Novel Opportunities and Emerging Challenges in Theranostic Nanomedicine.

Selenium is an important dietary supplement and an essential trace element incorporated into selenoproteins with growth-modulating properties and cytotoxic mechanisms of action. However, different compounds of selenium usually possess a narrow nutritional or therapeutic window with a low degree of absorption and delicate safety margins, depending on the dose and the chemical form in which they are provided to the organism. Hence, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are emerging as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic platform with decreased toxicity and the capacity to enhance the biological properties of Se-based compounds. Consistent with the exciting possibilities offered by nanotechnology in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, SeNPs are useful tools in current biomedical research with exceptional benefits as potential therapeutics, with enhanced bioavailability, improved targeting, and effectiveness against oxidative stress and inflammation-mediated disorders. In view of the need for developing eco-friendly, inexpensive, simple, and high-throughput biomedical agents that can also ally with theranostic purposes and exhibit negligible side effects, biogenic SeNPs are receiving special attention. The present manuscript aims to be a reference in its kind by providing the readership with a thorough and comprehensive review that emphasizes the current, yet expanding, possibilities offered by biogenic SeNPs in the biomedical field and the promise they hold among selenium-derived products to, eventually, elicit future developments. First, the present review recalls the physiological importance of selenium as an oligo-element and introduces the unique biological, physicochemical, optoelectronic, and catalytic properties of Se nanomaterials. Then, it addresses the significance of nanosizing on pharmacological activity (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) and cellular interactions of SeNPs. Importantly, it discusses in detail the role of biosynthesized SeNPs as innovative theranostic agents for personalized nanomedicine-based therapies. Finally, this review explores the role of biogenic SeNPs in the ongoing context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and presents key prospects in translational nanomedicine.

Theranostics for COVID-19 Antiviral Drugs: Prospects and Challenges for Worldwide Precision/Personalized Medicine.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a systemic disease that impacts multiple organ systems with a complex clinical presentation and outcomes that can vary from person to person and between populations. To optimize COVID-19 treatment outcomes, and in light of the availability of antiviral drugs, there is a need for greater attention to the field of theranostics, the fusion of therapeutics and diagnostics. Theranostics tests would be invaluable, we suggest in this expert review, so as to optimize the efficacy and safety of current and future antiviral drugs against COVID-19. Theranostics would also assist in the design and implementation of clinical trials with antiviral drug candidates. We discuss here theranostics considering drugs such as remdesivir, Paxlovid™, and molnupiravir. All in all, we underscore that theranostics as a concept and practice is essential for efficient and safe health interventions against COVID-19 and other ecological crises in the 21st century.

Engineered rHDL Nanoparticles as a Suitable Platform for Theranostic Applications.

Reconstituted high-density lipoproteins (rHDLs) can transport and specifically release drugs and imaging agents, mediated by the Scavenger Receptor Type B1 (SR-B1) present in a wide variety of tumor cells, providing convenient platforms for developing theranostic systems. Usually, phospholipids or Apo-A1 lipoproteins on the particle surfaces are the motifs used to conjugate molecules for the multifunctional purposes of the rHDL nanoparticles. Cholesterol has been less addressed as a region to bind molecules or functional groups to the rHDL surface. To maximize the efficacy and improve the radiolabeling of rHDL theranostic systems, we synthesized compounds with bifunctional agents covalently linked to cholesterol. This strategy means that the radionuclide was bound to the surface, while the therapeutic agent was encapsulated in the lipophilic core. In this research, HYNIC-S-(CH2)3-S-Cholesterol and DOTA-benzene-p-SC-NH-(CH2)2-NH-Cholesterol derivatives were synthesized to prepare nanoparticles (NPs) of HYNIC-rHDL and DOTA-rHDL, which can subsequently be linked to radionuclides for SPECT/PET imaging or targeted radiotherapy. HYNIC is used to complexing 99mTc and DOTA for labeling molecules with 111, 113mIn, 67, 68Ga, 177Lu, 161Tb, 225Ac, and 64Cu, among others. In vitro studies showed that the NPs of HYNIC-rHDL and DOTA-rHDL maintain specific recognition by SR-B1 and the ability to internalize and release, in the cytosol of cancer cells, the molecules carried in their core. The biodistribution in mice showed a similar behavior between rHDL (without surface modification) and HYNIC-rHDL, while DOTA-rHDL exhibited a different biodistribution pattern due to the significant reduction in the lipophilicity of the modified cholesterol molecule. Both systems demonstrated characteristics for the development of suitable theranostic platforms for personalized cancer treatment.

Bioengineered Carboxymethylcellulose-Peptide Hybrid Nanozyme Cascade for Targeted Intracellular Biocatalytic-Magnetothermal Therapy of Brain Cancer Cells.

Glioblastoma remains the most lethal form of brain cancer, where hybrid nanomaterials biofunctionalized with polysaccharide peptides offer disruptive strategies relying on passive/active targeting and multimodal therapy for killing cancer cells. Thus, in this research, we report for the first time the rational design and synthesis of novel hybrid colloidal nanostructures composed of gold nanoparticles stabilized by trisodium citrate (AuNP@TSC) as the oxidase-like nanozyme, coupled with cobalt-doped superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized by carboxymethylcellulose ligands (Co-MION@CMC) as the peroxidase-like nanozyme. They formed inorganic-inorganic dual-nanozyme systems functionalized by a carboxymethylcellulose biopolymer organic shell, which can trigger a biocatalytic cascade reaction in the cancer tumor microenvironment for the combination of magnetothermal-chemodynamic therapy. These nanoassemblies were produced through a green aqueous process under mild conditions and chemically biofunctionalized with integrin-targeting peptide (iRDG), creating bioengineered nanocarriers. The results demonstrated that the oxidase-like nanozyme (AuNP) was produced with a crystalline face-centered cubic nanostructure, spherical morphology (diameter = 16 ± 3 nm), zeta potential (ZP) of -50 ± 5 mV, and hydrodynamic diameter (DH) of 15 ± 1 nm. The peroxide-like nanostructure (POD, Co-MION@CMC) contained an inorganic crystalline core of magnetite and had a uniform spherical shape (2R = 7 ± 1 nm) which, summed to the contribution of the CMC shell, rendered a hydrodynamic diameter of 45 ± 4 nm and a negative surface charge (ZP = -41 ± 5 mV). Upon coupling both nanozymes, water-dispersible colloidal supramolecular vesicle-like organic-inorganic nanostructures were produced (AuNP//Co-MION@CMC, ZP = -45 ± 4 mV and DH = 28 ± 3 nm). They confirmed dual-nanozyme cascade biocatalytic activity targeted by polymer-peptide conjugates (AuNP//Co-MION@CMC_iRGD, ZP = -29 ± 3 mV and DH = 60 ± 4 nm) to kill brain cancer cells (i.e., bioenergy "starvation" by glucose deprivation and oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species generation), which was boosted by the magneto-hyperthermotherapy effect when submitted to the alternating magnetic field (i.e., induced local thermal stress by "nanoheaters"). This groundwork offers a wide avenue of opportunities to develop innovative theranostic nanoplatforms with multiple integrated functionalities for fighting cancer and reducing the harsh side effects of conventional chemotherapy.

Radiolabeled nanomaterials for biomedical applications: radiopharmacy in the era of nanotechnology.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in nanotechnology have offered new hope for cancer detection, prevention, and treatment. Nanomedicine, a term for the application of nanotechnology in medical and health fields, uses nanoparticles for several applications such as imaging, diagnostic, targeted cancer therapy, drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering, and theranostics. RESULTS: Here, we overview the current state-of-the-art of radiolabeled nanoparticles for molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy. Nanostructured radiopharmaceuticals of technetium-99m, copper-64, lutetium-177, and radium-223 are discussed within the scope of this review article. CONCLUSION: Nanoradiopharmaceuticals may lead to better development of theranostics inspired by ingenious delivery and imaging systems. Cancer nano-theranostics have the potential to lead the way to more specific and individualized cancer treatment.

In Vivo Evaluation of Sgc8-c Aptamer as a Molecular Imaging Probe for Colon Cancer in a Mouse Xenograft Model.

Recent biotechnological applications in the field of clinical oncology led to the identification of new biomarkers as molecular targets of cancer, and to broad developments in the field of personalized medicine. Aptamers are oligonucleotides (ssDNA or RNA) that are selected to specifically recognize a molecular target with high affinity and specificity. Based on this, new horizons for their use as molecular imaging probes are being explored. The objective of this work was to evaluate the Sgc8-c aptamer conjugated with Alexa Fluor 647 fluorophore as an imaging probe in a colon tumor xenograft mouse model, with potential application in molecular imaging. In this study, the LS174T cell line was used to induce colorectal adenocarcinoma in nude mice. After confirmation of PTK7 overexpression by immunohistochemistry, in vivo studies were performed. Pharmacokinetic, in vivo and ex vivo biodistribution imaging, and a competition assay were evaluated by fluorescence imaging. In vivo visualization of the probe in the tumors was assessed two hours after aptamer probe administration, exhibiting excellent tumor-to-background ratios in biodistribution studies and high specificity in the competition test. Our results demonstrated the functionality of Scg8-c as an imaging probe for colon cancer, with potential clinical applications.

Engineered titania nanomaterials in advanced clinical applications.

Significant advancement in the field of nanotechnology has raised the possibility of applying potent engineered biocompatible nanomaterials within biological systems for theranostic purposes. Titanium dioxide (titanium(IV) oxide/titania/TiO2) has garnered considerable attention as one of the most extensively studied metal oxides in clinical applications. Owing to the unique properties of titania, such as photocatalytic activity, excellent biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and low toxicity, titania nanomaterials have revolutionized therapeutic approaches. Additionally, titania provides an exceptional choice for developing innovative medical devices and the integration of functional moieties that can modulate the biological responses. Thus, the current review aims to present a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of TiO2-based nanotherapeutics and the corresponding future challenges.

Biomedical Applications of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Current Insights Progress and Perspectives.

The enormous development of nanomaterials technology and the immediate response of many areas of science, research, and practice to their possible application has led to the publication of thousands of scientific papers, books, and reports. This vast amount of information requires careful classification and order, especially for specifically targeted practical needs. Therefore, the present review aims to summarize to some extent the role of iron oxide nanoparticles in biomedical research. Summarizing the fundamental properties of the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, the review's next focus was to classify research studies related to applying these particles for cancer diagnostics and therapy (similar to photothermal therapy, hyperthermia), in nano theranostics, multimodal therapy. Special attention is paid to research studies dealing with the opportunities of combining different nanomaterials to achieve optimal systems for biomedical application. In this regard, original data about the synthesis and characterization of nanolipidic magnetic hybrid systems are included as an example. The last section of the review is dedicated to the capacities of magnetite-based magnetic nanoparticles for the management of oncological diseases.

Enhanced Cellular Uptake of H-Chain Human Ferritin Containing Gold Nanoparticles.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) capped with biocompatible layers have functional optical, chemical, and biological properties as theranostic agents in biomedicine. The ferritin protein containing in situ synthesized AuNPs has been successfully used as an effective and completely biocompatible nanocarrier for AuNPs in human cell lines and animal experiments in vivo. Ferritin can be uptaken by different cell types through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Despite these advantages, few efforts have been made to evaluate the toxicity and cellular internalization of AuNP-containing ferritin nanocages. In this work, we study the potential of human heavy-chain (H) and light-chain (L) ferritin homopolymers as nanoreactors to synthesize AuNPs and their cytotoxicity and cellular uptake in different cell lines. The results show very low toxicity of ferritin-encapsulated AuNPs on different human cell lines and demonstrate that efficient cellular ferritin uptake depends on the specific H or L protein chains forming the ferritin protein cage and the presence or absence of metallic cargo. Cargo-devoid apoferritin is poorly internalized in all cell lines, and the highest ferritin uptake was achieved with AuNP-loaded H-ferritin homopolymers in transferrin-receptor-rich cell lines, showing more than seven times more uptake than apoferritin.

Data-Driven Modeling of Breast Cancer Tumors Using Boolean Networks.

Cancer is a genomic disease involving various intertwined pathways with complex cross-communication links. Conceptually, this complex interconnected system forms a network, which allows one to model the dynamic behavior of the elements that characterize it to describe the entire system's development in its various evolutionary stages of carcinogenesis. Knowing the activation or inhibition status of the genes that make up the network during its temporal evolution is necessary for the rational intervention on the critical factors for controlling the system's dynamic evolution. In this report, we proposed a methodology for building data-driven boolean networks that model breast cancer tumors. We defined the network components and topology based on gene expression data from RNA-seq of breast cancer cell lines. We used a Boolean logic formalism to describe the network dynamics. The combination of single-cell RNA-seq and interactome data enabled us to study the dynamics of malignant subnetworks of up-regulated genes. First, we used the same Boolean function construction scheme for each network node, based on canalyzing functions. Using single-cell breast cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we applied a binarization algorithm. The binarized version of scRNA-seq data allowed identifying attractors specific to patients and critical genes related to each breast cancer subtype. The model proposed in this report may serve as a basis for a methodology to detect critical genes involved in malignant attractor stability, whose inhibition could have potential applications in cancer theranostics.

The State of the Art of Theranostic Nanomaterials for Lung, Breast, and Prostate Cancers.

The synthesis and engineering of nanomaterials offer more robust systems for the treatment of cancer, with technologies that combine therapy with imaging diagnostic tools in the so-called nanotheranostics. Among the most studied systems, there are quantum dots, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, dendrimers, and gold nanoparticles. Most of the advantages of nanomaterials over the classic anticancer therapies come from their optimal size, which prevents the elimination by the kidneys and enhances their permeation in the tumor due to the abnormal blood vessels present in cancer tissues. Furthermore, the drug delivery and the contrast efficiency for imaging are enhanced, especially due to the increased surface area and the selective accumulation in the desired tissues. This property leads to the reduced drug dose necessary to exert the desired effect and for a longer action within the tumor. Finally, they are made so that there is no degradation into toxic byproducts and have a lower immune response triggering. In this article, we intend to review and discuss the state-of-the-art regarding the use of nanomaterials as therapeutic and diagnostic tools for lung, breast, and prostate cancer, as they are among the most prevalent worldwide.

Extracellular Vesicles as Mediators of Cancer Disease and as Nanosystems in Theranostic Applications.

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide despite decades of intense efforts to understand the molecular underpinnings of the disease. To date, much of the focus in research has been on the cancer cells themselves and how they acquire specific traits during disease development and progression. However, these cells are known to secrete large numbers of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are now becoming recognized as key players in cancer. EVs contain a large number of different molecules, including but not limited to proteins, mRNAs, and miRNAs, and they are actively secreted by many different cell types. In the last two decades, a considerable body of evidence has become available indicating that EVs play a very active role in cell communication. Cancer cells are heterogeneous, and recent evidence reveals that cancer cell-derived EV cargos can change the behavior of target cells. For instance, more aggressive cancer cells can transfer their "traits" to less aggressive cancer cells and convert them into more malignant tumor cells or, alternatively, eliminate those cells in a process referred to as "cell competition". This review discusses how EVs participate in the multistep acquisition of specific traits developed by tumor cells, which are referred to as "the hallmarks of cancer" defined by Hanahan and Weinberg. Moreover, as will be discussed, EVs play an important role in drug resistance, and these more recent advances may explain, at least in part, why pharmacological therapies are often ineffective. Finally, we discuss literature proposing the use of EVs for therapeutic and prognostic purposes in cancer.

Effects of meso-tetrakis (4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TPPS4) aggregation on its spectral and kinetic characteristics and singlet oxygen production.

The present work reports the effects of meso-tetrakis (4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TPPS4) aggregation on its excited states absorption spectra, triplet states quenching by molecular oxygen and singlet oxygen production. Experimental techniques such as optical absorption, Z-scan with a white light continuum source and the Laser Flash Photolysis were used to fulfil the study. J-aggregates possess reverse saturable absorption in the 505-660 nm spectral range with a peak centered close to 540 nm. These facts together with their fast relaxation time suggest that they can be employed as material for ultrafast optical limiting and switching. Even though aggregation reduces the porphyrin excited-state lifetimes and quantum yields, it does not reduce the probability of the contact between the quencher and the excited aggregate. Aggregation does not change the contribution of energy transfer mechanisms to triplet state quenching by molecular oxygen. The production of singlet oxygen, the intense absorption in the phototherapeutic window and the high efficiency of conversion of light energy into heat, allow consider J-aggregates as a theranostic agent for photomedicine. It is proposed to use J-aggregates for diagnostics by photoacoustic images and in combination with a near-infrared photodynamic/photothermal dual mode therapy, thus improving synergistically the therapeutic response.

Monte Carlo study of a convergent X-ray beam for high resolution X-ray fluorescence imaging.

The traditional X-ray tube design is built upon the impact of energetic electrons on high atomic number absorbers producing the X-ray output, consisting of photons due to Bremsstrahlung and fluorescence. Typically, electrons current hits the target within a limited area of a few millimeters square stopping the electrons, which lose their energy and produce the X rays constituting an inherently divergent beam. This geometrical property of traditional X-ray beams is responsible for several undesirable effects when trying to optimize applications requiring high incident fluence spatial concentration, like X-ray fluorescence imaging. This work presents a Monte Carlo study about a novel X-ray tube design, based on a cylindrical target that is capable of producing a convergent X-ray beam aimed at improving overall performance and spatial resolution in certain applications, like X-ray fluorescence imaging. Main design characteristics for relevant parts, like target/anode, filter, and collimator, have been carefully investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulation using two independent codes: FLUKA and PENELOPE. The obtained results suggest the feasibility of the proposed design remarking that high fluence concentration can be achieved, which can be particularly useful for further applications, like tumor targeting by X-ray fluorescence imaging by means of high atomic number nanoparticle infusion, as reported in this work.