Sona’s Platform Technology:
Uniquely biocompatible
gold nanorods (GNRs)
What are gold nanorods
- Rod-shaped nanoparticles made of gold
- Sizes of 10 to 100 nanometers in length
- Nanometer is one-billionth of a meter
- Produced by chemical synthesis
- Can be conjugated to different molecules
Uses of gold nanorods
Their surface chemistry and physical properties make gold nanorods ideally suited for a variety of applications. Sona GNRs, having the added benefit of being biocompatible, could potentially help to shape advancements across a number of key areas.
- Photothermal therapy
- Tumor targeting activity
- Anti-bacterial activity
- Drug delivery vehicle
- Diagnostic markers for imaging
- Immunoassay and biosensing
Sona’s GNR Technology Assessment:
U.S. Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory
Positive Results of Second Assessment of Sona’s GNR Technology from U.S. Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory
“Getting the approval of regulators to run clinical trials for targeted hyperthermia therapy (“THT”) will require a mountain of compelling data. These NLC assessments of the biocompatibility of our core, gold nanorod technology, coupled with the existing small animal study data for THT will provide us with a great base on which to build in the coming months. As with the NCL’s January assessment of three earlier batches of Sona’s gold nanorods, this new assessment did not detect any endotoxins or microbial contamination. The assessment also found “no significant differences between the two lots by DLS (dynamic light scattering) hydrodynamic size, zeta potential, or gold concentration”.
- David Regan, CEO
New NCL Assessment of Sona’s GNR Technology Highlights Process Improvement Success
Sona’s laboratory has undertaken a manufacturing enhancement program in preparation for the production of the gold nanorods necessary for our anticipated pre-clinical trials and studies. This program has resulted in improved yields and reduced surfactant levels with no loss in stability or biocompatibility, as evidenced by these additional excellent NCL assessment results which we were very pleased to receive”
- David Regan, CEO
Our advancements in gold nanotechnology have the potential to transform the diagnostic, scientific, and medical treatment markets.
Our gold nanorod products offer a highly functionalized and robust manufacturing process.
- Lengths from 25-60 nm
- Typical widths from 10-15 nm
- CTAB free & Bio-Compatible
- Wide colour spectrum
- Long shelf life
- Functionalized surface properties
Sona’s GNR in Lateral Flow Assays (LFA’s) as diagnostic tools.
Gold Nanorods
Gold nanorods (GNRs) are small particles whose surface plasmon resonance (SPR) frequencies can be altered by modifying their length and width, giving them properties useful in a host of applications, including diagnostics, optical biomedical imaging, and photothermal therapies, to name a few. One of the major barriers in the application of GNR-based materials, however, especially for in-vivo applications such as hyperthermal cancer treatment, is the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cytotoxic, cationic surfactant used exclusively in the large scale synthesis of GNRs. CTAB attacks and kills cells in the body in 2 ways: by creating nanoscale holes within affected cell membranes and depriving cells of energy, ultimately killing the cell in both cases.
The concentration of CTAB that is most often used in the synthesis of gold nanorods is typically 100 times its critical concentration, meaning a significant amount of CTAB remains in the bulk of the solution after the GNRs are made. A number of methods have been used to “remove” or partially exchange the CTAB, however, these surface modified GNRs are often still contaminated with residual CTAB.
For GNRs to be safely and more readily integrated into in vivo applications, removal of CTAB is essential. This is where Sona’s patented technology comes in. Our revolutionary process of GNR synthesis completely eliminates CTAB from the equation all together!