Vapor Microbubbles Triggered by Gold Nanorods for Photoacoustic Theranostics

Photoacoustic imaging and microsurgery have recently attracted attention as innovative approaches to manage several pathological conditions. In this context, we developed a set-up to image and destroy malignant cells by the generation and manipulation of optical vapor microbubbles. Vapor microbubbles are activated by the interaction between light and gold nanorods. Here we investigate the influence of gold nanorod parameters (shape, coating and environment) on their photoacoustic conversion efficiency and their ability to trigger photocavitation process.