Dr. Dave Carroll Abstract:

Photo-dynamic Therapeutics Based on Carbon Nanotubes

Nitrogen doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (N-doped MWNTs) have been investigated as radiation transducers for use in heat transfer to living cells and tissues.

N-doped MWNTs exhibit excellent coupling to near infrared radiation (1064 nm) when their length exceeds one half the wavelength of the stimulating radiation as predicted in classical antenna theory. This radiation heats the nanotubes through induction processes, resulting in significant heat transfer to surrounding tissue.

Using cultured CRL 1932 cancer cells we demonstrate excellent cell killing in vitro, at extraordinarily small radiation doses, even when there is no nanotube uptake by the cells. This cell death was attributed directly to hyperthermia within the culture since it was found that N-Doped MWNT’s are not toxic to this cell line.

These results suggest that N-doped MWNTs may form the basis of photo-ablative/photo-dynamic therapy approaches for a wide variety of cancers.