Dye-doped biodegradable nanoparticle SiO

In vivo imaging and therapy represent one of the most promising areas in nanomedicine. Particularly, the identification and localization of nanomaterials within cells and tissues are key issues to understand their interaction with biological components, namely their cell internalization route, intracellular destination, therapeutic activity and possible cytotoxicity. Here, we show the development of multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) by providing luminescent functionality to zinc and iron oxide NPs. We describe simple synthesis methods based on modified Stöber procedures to incorporate fluorescent molecules on the surface of oxide NPs. These procedures involve the successful coating of NPs with size-controlled amorphous silica (SiO