nanoComposix CEO, Dr. Stephen Oldenburg, speaking on the Commercialization of Gold Nanoshells at ACS Spring 2019

Over 20 years ago, gold nanoshells, a seminal plasmonic nanostructure, was invented in the laboratory of Dr. Naomi Halas. The unique optical properties of gold nanoshells has led to a wide variety of scientific research and applications. By controlling the size of the core and the thickness of the gold shell, the peak plasmonic resonance of gold nanoshells can be shifted across the visible and into the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Nanoshell geometry also impacts the relative contribution of scattering and absorption of individual nanoshells, and by selecting specific core diameters and shell thicknesses, the optical properties can be optimized for applications that range from molecular diagnostics to cancer therapies. Scaled manufacturing of nanoshells for production under ISO 13485* and cGMP presents additional technical challenges that must be overcome for nanoshells to be incorporated into products with global markets. While the commercialization of new materials is challenging and time consuming, the imminent release of a number of products that leverage the novel properties of gold nanoshells demonstrates that plasmonic nanostructures will continue to be an important component of nanotechnology commercialization.