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Krishnendu Saha

Bio: Krishnendu Saha is an academic researcher from University of Massachusetts Amherst. The author has contributed to research in topics: Colloidal gold & Nanoparticle. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 35 publications receiving 6619 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The advent of AuNP as a sensory element provided a broad spectrum of innovative approaches for the detection of metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, malignant cells, etc. in a rapid and efficient manner.
Abstract: Detection of chemical and biological agents plays a fundamental role in biomedical, forensic and environmental sciences1–4 as well as in anti bioterrorism applications.5–7 The development of highly sensitive, cost effective, miniature sensors is therefore in high demand which requires advanced technology coupled with fundamental knowledge in chemistry, biology and material sciences.8–13 In general, sensors feature two functional components: a recognition element to provide selective/specific binding with the target analytes and a transducer component for signaling the binding event. An efficient sensor relies heavily on these two essential components for the recognition process in terms of response time, signal to noise (S/N) ratio, selectivity and limits of detection (LOD).14,15 Therefore, designing sensors with higher efficacy depends on the development of novel materials to improve both the recognition and transduction processes. Nanomaterials feature unique physicochemical properties that can be of great utility in creating new recognition and transduction processes for chemical and biological sensors15–27 as well as improving the S/N ratio by miniaturization of the sensor elements.28 Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess distinct physical and chemical attributes that make them excellent scaffolds for the fabrication of novel chemical and biological sensors (Figure 1).29–36 First, AuNPs can be synthesized in a straightforward manner and can be made highly stable. Second, they possess unique optoelectronic properties. Third, they provide high surface-to-volume ratio with excellent biocompatibility using appropriate ligands.30 Fourth, these properties of AuNPs can be readily tuned varying their size, shape and the surrounding chemical environment. For example, the binding event between recognition element and the analyte can alter physicochemical properties of transducer AuNPs, such as plasmon resonance absorption, conductivity, redox behavior, etc. that in turn can generate a detectable response signal. Finally, AuNPs offer a suitable platform for multi-functionalization with a wide range of organic or biological ligands for the selective binding and detection of small molecules and biological targets.30–32,36 Each of these attributes of AuNPs has allowed researchers to develop novel sensing strategies with improved sensitivity, stability and selectivity. In the last decade of research, the advent of AuNP as a sensory element provided us a broad spectrum of innovative approaches for the detection of metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, malignant cells, etc. in a rapid and efficient manner.37 Figure 1 Physical properties of AuNPs and schematic illustration of an AuNP-based detection system. In this current review, we have highlighted the several synthetic routes and properties of AuNPs that make them excellent probes for different sensing strategies. Furthermore, we will discuss various sensing strategies and major advances in the last two decades of research utilizing AuNPs in the detection of variety of target analytes including metal ions, organic molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and microorganisms.

3,879 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
22 Sep 2014-ACS Nano
TL;DR: A strong structure–activity relationship was observed as a function of AuNP functionality, providing guidance to activity prediction and rational design of effective antimicrobial nanoparticles.
Abstract: We present the use of functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to combat multi-drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Tuning of the functional groups on the nanoparticle surface provided gold nanoparticles that were effective against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive uropathogens, including multi-drug-resistant pathogens. These AuNPs exhibited low toxicity to mammalian cells, and bacterial resistance was not observed after 20 generations. A strong structure–activity relationship was observed as a function of AuNP functionality, providing guidance to activity prediction and rational design of effective antimicrobial nanoparticles.

583 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on the use of covalent and noncovalent gold nanoparticle conjugates for applications in gene delivery and RNA-interference technologies and challenges in nucleic acid delivery, including endosomal entrapment/escape and active delivery/presentation of nucleic acids in the cell.

391 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Account discusses the research and that of others into how NP surface properties control interactions with biomolecules and cells at many scales, including the role the particle surface plays in determining in vivo behavior of nanomaterials.
Abstract: Surface properties dictate the behavior of nanomaterials in vitro, in vivo, and in the environment. Such properties include surface charge and hydrophobicity. Also key are more complex supramolecular interactions such as aromatic stacking and hydrogen bonding, and even surface topology from the structural to the atomic level. Surface functionalization of nanoparticles (NPs) provides an effective way to control the interface between nanomaterials and the biological systems they are designed to interact with. In medicine, for instance, proper control of surface properties can maximize therapeutic or imaging efficacy while minimizing unfavorable side effects. Meanwhile, in environmental science, thoughtful choice of particle coating can minimize the impact of manufactured nanomaterials on the environment.A thorough knowledge of how NP surfaces with various properties affect biological systems is essential for creating NPs with such useful therapeutic and imaging properties as low toxicity, stability, biocomp...

338 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
11 Jul 2014-ACS Nano
TL;DR: A series of zwitterionic NPs of variable hydrophobicity that do not adsorb proteins at moderate levels of serum protein and do not form hard coronas at physiological serum concentrations are presented.
Abstract: A protein corona is formed at the surface of nanoparticles in the presence of biological fluids, masking the surface properties of the particle and complicating the relationship between chemical functionality and biological effects. We present here a series of zwitterionic NPs of variable hydrophobicity that do not adsorb proteins at moderate levels of serum protein and do not form hard coronas at physiological serum concentrations. These particles provide platforms to evaluate nanobiological behavior such as cell uptake and hemolysis dictated directly by chemical motifs at the nanoparticle surface.

264 citations


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TL;DR: This review summarizes the major progress in the field, including the principles that permit atomically precise synthesis, new types of atomic structures, and unique physical and chemical properties ofatomically precise nanoparticles, as well as exciting opportunities for nanochemists to understand very fundamental science of colloidal nanoparticles.
Abstract: Colloidal nanoparticles are being intensely pursued in current nanoscience research. Nanochemists are often frustrated by the well-known fact that no two nanoparticles are the same, which precludes the deep understanding of many fundamental properties of colloidal nanoparticles in which the total structures (core plus surface) must be known. Therefore, controlling nanoparticles with atomic precision and solving their total structures have long been major dreams for nanochemists. Recently, these goals are partially fulfilled in the case of gold nanoparticles, at least in the ultrasmall size regime (1–3 nm in diameter, often called nanoclusters). This review summarizes the major progress in the field, including the principles that permit atomically precise synthesis, new types of atomic structures, and unique physical and chemical properties of atomically precise nanoparticles, as well as exciting opportunities for nanochemists to understand very fundamental science of colloidal nanoparticles (such as the s...

2,144 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is anticipated that precisely engineered nanoparticles will emerge as the next-generation platform for cancer therapy and many other biomedical applications.
Abstract: In medicine, nanotechnology has sparked a rapidly growing interest as it promises to solve a number of issues associated with conventional therapeutic agents, including their poor water solubility (at least, for most anticancer drugs), lack of targeting capability, nonspecific distribution, systemic toxicity, and low therapeutic index. Over the past several decades, remarkable progress has been made in the development and application of engineered nanoparticles to treat cancer more effectively. For example, therapeutic agents have been integrated with nanoparticles engineered with optimal sizes, shapes, and surface properties to increase their solubility, prolong their circulation half-life, improve their biodistribution, and reduce their immunogenicity. Nanoparticles and their payloads have also been favorably delivered into tumors by taking advantage of the pathophysiological conditions, such as the enhanced permeability and retention effect, and the spatial variations in the pH value. Additionally, targeting ligands (e.g., small organic molecules, peptides, antibodies, and nucleic acids) have been added to the surface of nanoparticles to specifically target cancerous cells through selective binding to the receptors overexpressed on their surface. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that multiple types of therapeutic drugs and/or diagnostic agents (e.g., contrast agents) could be delivered through the same carrier to enable combination therapy with a potential to overcome multidrug resistance, and real-time readout on the treatment efficacy. It is anticipated that precisely engineered nanoparticles will emerge as the next-generation platform for cancer therapy and many other biomedical applications.

1,603 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review provides an objective and comprehensive account of the cellular uptake of NPs and the underlying parameters controlling the nano-cellular interactions, along with the available analytical techniques to follow and track these processes.
Abstract: Nanoscale materials are increasingly found in consumer goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. While these particles interact with the body in myriad ways, their beneficial and/or deleterious effects ultimately arise from interactions at the cellular and subcellular level. Nanoparticles (NPs) can modulate cell fate, induce or prevent mutations, initiate cell–cell communication, and modulate cell structure in a manner dictated largely by phenomena at the nano–bio interface. Recent advances in chemical synthesis have yielded new nanoscale materials with precisely defined biochemical features, and emerging analytical techniques have shed light on nuanced and context-dependent nano-bio interactions within cells. In this review, we provide an objective and comprehensive account of our current understanding of the cellular uptake of NPs and the underlying parameters controlling the nano-cellular interactions, along with the available analytical techniques to follow and track these processes.

1,498 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Luminescence in the visible region, especially by clusters protected with proteins, with a large Stokes shift, has been used for various sensing applications, down to a few tens of molecules/ions, in air and water.
Abstract: Atomically precise pieces of matter of nanometer dimensions composed of noble metals are new categories of materials with many unusual properties. Over 100 molecules of this kind with formulas such as Au25(SR)18, Au38(SR)24, and Au102(SR)44 as well as Ag25(SR)18, Ag29(S2R)12, and Ag44(SR)30 (often with a few counterions to compensate charges) are known now. They can be made reproducibly with robust synthetic protocols, resulting in colored solutions, yielding powders or diffractable crystals. They are distinctly different from nanoparticles in their spectroscopic properties such as optical absorption and emission, showing well-defined features, just like molecules. They show isotopically resolved molecular ion peaks in mass spectra and provide diverse information when examined through multiple instrumental methods. Most important of these properties is luminescence, often in the visible–near-infrared window, useful in biological applications. Luminescence in the visible region, especially by clusters prot...

1,443 citations