Huynh E, Leung BYC, Helfield BL, Shakiba M, Gandier J, Jin CS, Master ER, Wilson BC, Goertz DE & Zheng G Nature Nanotechnology, 2015 (Download author version here) Converting nanoparticles or monomeric compounds into larger supramolecular structures by endogenous or external stimuli is increasingly popular because these materials are usefulContinue Reading
Ng KK, Takada M, Jin CC & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2015 Porphysomes are highly quenched unilamellar porphyrin–lipid nanovesicles with structurally dependent photothermal properties. The high packing density of porphyrin molecules in the lipid bilayer enables their application in photothermal therapy, whereas the partial disruption of the porphysome structure overContinue Reading
Liu TW, Chen J, Burgess L, Wilson BC, Zheng G, Zhan L, Liu WK, & Ha BY Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2015 Proteases play key roles in the regulation of normal cellular function, and thus, their deregulation leads to many disease states. Molecular beacons are promising protease-imaging probes forContinue Reading
Huang H, Cruz W, Chen J & Zheng G Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, 2014 Synthetic lipoproteins represent a relevant tool for targeted delivery of biological/chemical agents (chemotherapeutics, siRNAs, photosensitizers, and imaging contrast agents) into various cell types. These nanoparticles offer a number of advantages for drugs delivery overContinue Reading
Roxin Á, MacDonald TD, Zheng G Journal of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, 2014 DOI: 10.1142/S1088424613501058 Here we show the facile synthesis of 132-173-bacteriochlorophyllone a (12), with a distinct seven-membered exocyclic F-ring formed by 132-173-cyclization of bacteriopheophorbide a(16). This is the latest reported bacteriochlorin with such an exocyclic F-ring since 1975 (132-173 cyclobacteriopheophorbide a-enol, 11), and isContinue Reading
Lin Q, Chen J, Zhang Z, Zheng G Nanomedicine, 2014 DOI: 10.2217/nnm.13.192 RNAi therapeutics are believed to be the future of personalized medicine and have shown promise in early clinical trials. However, many physiological barriers exist in the systemic delivery of siRNAs to the cytoplasm of targeted cells to performContinue Reading
Roxin A, Chen J, Paton AS, Bender TP, Zheng G Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2014 DOI: 10.1021/jm401538h With the knowledge that the dominant photodynamic therapy (PDT) mechanism of 1a (WST09) switched from type 2 to type 1 for 1b (WST11) upon taurine-driven E-ring opening, we hypothesized that taurine-driven E-ring opening of bacteriochlorophyll derivatives andContinue Reading
MacDonald TD, Zheng G Photonics & Lasers in Medicine, 2014 DOI: 10.1515/plm-2013-0059 Porphysomes are an emerging class of photonic nanoparticles formed from the self-assembly of porphyrin-lipid conjugates. They retain the multifunctional properties of their porphyrin building blocks but also have unique properties emerging from the nanostructure itself. Porphysomes are able to actContinue Reading
Ng KK, Shakiba M, Huynh E, Weersink R, Roxin A, Wilson BC & Zheng G ACS Nano, 2014 Photoacoustic imaging provides high-resolution images at depths beyond the optical diffusion limit. To broaden its utility, there is need for molecular sensors capable of detecting environmental stimuli through alterations in photoacoustic signal.Continue Reading
MacDonald TD, Liu TW & Zheng G Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2014 Photothermal therapy makes use of photothermal sensitizers and laser light to thermally ablate diseased tissues. Porphysome nanoparticles offer a nontoxic alternative to inorganic nanocrystals for the efficient conversion of light into heat. Mn3+ ions were incorporated directly intoContinue Reading
