Aggregation and uptake kinetics of gold nanoparticles in biological cells, using plasmon coupling and image correlation spectroscopy

The aim of this PhD was to develop a technique to quantify the uptake and aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using image correlation spectroscopy (ICS). We proposed a non - destructive microscopic optical method using image correlation spectroscopy (ICS) together with plasmon coupling. The combination of these techniques provides an indication of what is happening within cells, both at the microscopic and macroscopic level. This technique could be used in different biological applications including cancer therapy, drug delivery, disease diagnosis and also for probing membrane protein stoichiometry and dynamics. Although visual resolution itself may not be improved, the ability to ‘see’ inside cells may be enhanced by the use of the methods discovered here.