Nanotechnology-Enabled Minimally Invasive Therapy
Nanotechnology is transforming cancer care by combining diagnosis and therapy into a single platform. Our laboratory develops innovative nanoparticles that can find tumors, illuminate them for surgeons, and deliver highly targeted treatments with minimal damage to healthy tissue.
Microbubbles and Nanodroplets
Contrast-enhanced endobronchial ultrasound (CE-EBUS) uses microbubble and nanodroplet contrast agents to visualize tumor blood vessels in real time.
This technology improves the ability to distinguish benign from malignant tissue and enables clinicians to target the most suspicious areas for biopsy, resulting in higher-quality tissue samples and more accurate diagnoses.
Why it matters: Better imaging leads to better biopsies and more confident clinical decisions.
ICG Liposomes
Our research is advancing indocyanine green (ICG) liposomes as multifunctional "theranostic" nanoparticles that combine imaging and therapy.
By improving the stability and delivery of ICG, these nanoparticles enable enhanced fluorescence imaging, image-guided surgery, targeted drug delivery, and light-activated cancer therapy. They also show strong potential as injectable imaging agents capable of helping clinicians localize lung tumors using both fluorescence and CT imaging.
Why it matters: A single nanoparticle platform could improve how lung cancer is detected, visualized, and treated.
Porphysome
Porphysomes are first-in-class nanoparticles developed at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre that combine cancer imaging and therapy into one powerful platform.
After intravenous administration, porphysomes naturally accumulate within tumors. During surgery they illuminate cancer using near-infrared fluorescence, helping surgeons identify tumors, metastases, and surgical margins with greater precision. When activated by light, the same nanoparticles can selectively destroy cancer cells through photothermal or photodynamic therapy while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Our laboratory is also developing minimally invasive bronchoscopic technologies capable of delivering these therapies directly to early-stage peripheral lung cancers through the airways.
Why it matters: Porphysomes represent a new generation of precision nanomedicine that integrates diagnosis, image-guided surgery, and targeted therapy into a single platform—bringing us closer to less invasive, more effective treatment for lung cancer.
