Abstract #3349

Stafford R, Shetty A, O'Neal D, Bourgoyne C, Hazle J, Elliott A

Gold-silica nanoshells are a class of nanoparticle that can be tuned to absorb strongly in the near infrared, making them an attractive agent for delivering targeted thermal therapy. This research uses proton resonance frequency based MR temperature imaging as an aid in evaluating changes in bulk thermal properties and associated spatiotemporal temperature distribution in gel-based phantoms with varying optical properties and nanoshell construction. Physical parameters, such as thermal diffusivity and absorption coefficient are shown to vary predictably with concentration and demonstrably affect the distribution of temperature and rate of heating region and the intensity of resulting temperatures.