Jin H, Lovell JF, Chen J, Lin Q, Ding L, Ng K, Pandey R, Manoharan M, Zhang Z & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2011 Although small interfering RNA (siRNA) can silence the expression of disease-related genes, delivery of these highly charged molecules is challenging. Delivery approaches for siRNAs are activelyContinue Reading
Mawn TM, Popov AV, Beardsley NJ, Milkevitch M, Stefflova K, Zheng G & Delikatny EJ Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2011 In this article, the characterization of the first near-infrared (NIR) phospholipase-activated molecular beacon is reported, and its utility for in vivo cancer imaging is demonstrated. The probe consists of three elements: aContinue Reading
Lovell JF, Chan MW, Qi Q, Chen J & Zheng G Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011 Photodynamic therapy (PDT) stands to benefit from improved approaches to real-time treatment monitoring. One method is to use activatable photosensitizers that can both induce cell death (via singlet oxygen) and monitor itContinue Reading
Jin CS & Zheng G Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2011 Background and Objective: In photodynamic therapy (PDT), photosensitizers are activated by light of a specific wavelength and produce cytotoxic molecules to damage diseased tissues. Most photosensitizers are hydrophobic and easily aggregate in aqueous solution. To maintain their photodynamic activityContinue Reading
Lovell JF, Roxin A, Ng KK, Qi Q, McMullen JD, DaCosta RS & Zheng G Biomacromolecules, 2011 We demonstrate that porphyrins can be used as efficient cross-linkers to generate a new class of hydrogels with enabling optical properties. Tetracarboxylic acid porphyrins reacted with PEG diamines to form a condensation polyamideContinue Reading
Yang M, Chen J, Cao W, Ding L, Ng KK, Jin H, Zhang Z & Zheng G Nanomedicine, 2011 Research in the development of nanoscale drug carriers primarily focuses on maximizing drug delivery efficiency to tumor tissues. However, less attention has been given to minimizing drug toxicity to non-targeted cellsContinue Reading
Liu TW, Akens MK, Chen J, Wise-Milestone L, Wilson BC & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2011 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Approximately 85% of patients with advanced cases will develop spinal metastases. The vertebral column is the most common site of breast cancerContinue Reading
Ng KK, Lovell JF & Zheng G Accounts of Chemical Research, 2011 Over hundreds of millions of years, animals have evolved endogenous lipoprotein nanoparticles for shuttling hydrophobic molecules to different parts of the body. In the last 70 years, scientists have developed an understanding of lipoprotein function, often in relationshipContinue Reading
Marotta DE, Cao W, Wileyto EP, Li H, Corbin I, Rickter E, Glickson JD, Chance B, Zheng G & Busch TM Nanomedicine, 2011 Aim: To evaluate the novel nanoparticle reconstituted bacteriochlorin e6 bisoleate low-density lipoprotein (r-Bchl-BOA-LDL) for its efficacy as a photodynamic therapy agent delivery system in xenografts of humanContinue Reading
Lovell JF, Jin CS, Huynh E, Jin H, Kim C, Rubinstein JL, Chan WCW, Cao W, Wang LV & Zheng G Nature Materials, 2011 (Download author version here) Optically active nanomaterials promise to advance a range of biophotonic techniques through nanoscale optical effects and integration of multiple imaging and therapeuticContinue Reading
