1. A Proposal to Research TREATMENT OF BREAST TUMORS USING GOLD NANOPARTICLES
Ben W.
EPD 397
Professor Nicometo
October 9th 2008

2. In 2007 there were 7.4 million deaths worldwide due to cancer [1].
Figure 1: 2-cm tumor in breast tissue [2]

3. Colloidal gold is a promising vehicle for new treatment options .
On the nano scale (10-9 m)
Exhibits unique properties
Figure 2: Colloidal Gold [3]

4. Gold nanoparticles are easy to produce and exhibit unique characteristics over other options.
10 µm
100 nm
1 nm

5. Because of their photothermal properties, they are easy to monitor and direct in the body.
Plasmon Resonance
Figure 3: Vibration of electron cloud [4]
Figure 4: Extinction spectrum for Au nanorods [5]

6. I propose to research: Targeting of Tumor Cells Breast Cancer outcomes
Active
Passive
Breast Cancer outcomes
Safety of this treatment

7. My sources offer much information on the topic, from reputable resources.

8. With this research, I hope to shed light on the potential of this treatment.

9. Sources
[1] Dunham, “Report Sees 7.6 Million global cancer deaths,” Reuters, Dec 17th 2008, < [2] “Breast Cancer,” (listed as free domain) [3] Reinhart, “Metospheric Plasma Products”, central.com/Sales/Sales1.html [4] Kelley, Coronado, Zhao, Schatz, “The Optical Properties of Metal Nanoparticles,” Journal of Physical Chemistry B, no 107 (2003). [5] Huff, Tong, Zhao, Hansen, Cheng, Wei, “Hyperthermic Effects of Gold Nanorods on Tumor Cells,” Nanomedicine 2, no 1 (2007): [6] Cuenca, Jiang, Hochwald, Delano, Cance, Grobmyer, “Emerging Implications of Nanotechnology on Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics,” Cancer 107, no 3 (2006). <doi.wiley.com>