Hybrid Silica Nanoparticles for Multimodal Imaging

Lighting things up: Multifunctional silica nanoparticles containing a luminescent core and a paramagnetic coat are prepared, and their utility as multimodal imaging probes is demonstrated in vitro. Monocyte cells can be labeled with the hybrid nanoparticles with greater than 98 % efficiency and do not experience measurable toxicity even at a high loading of 0.123 mg per 5000 cells.