Research Projects

In vivo cell tracking is crucial for visualizing biological processes, such as cell growth kinetics and cell-host interaction, which are essential for investigating disease models like cancer and cell therapies. To achieve this, imaging probes with enhanced contrast capability, longer cellular retention-time, and reduced toxicity are needed. As bioimaging devices become more sophisticated, it is recommended to design cell labelling agents with multimodal imaging capabilities. This project proposes using polymer capsules loaded with nano-contrast agents like GdF3, GdVO4, and Au, along with co-loaded nanoparticles with enhanced imaging capabilities. The project aims to develop and explore nanoparticle-loaded polymer capsules as efficient imaging contrast agents for cell labeling and in vivo tracking applications with multiple imaging modalities. Specific objectives include developing nanoparticle-loaded polymer capsules with GdF3, GdVO4, and Au as monomodal and multi-modal imaging contrast agents, selecting the best performing nanoparticle-loaded capsules for longer intracellular residence-time, and conducting multimodal in vivo cell tracking studies with optimized nanoparticle-loaded polymer capsules.