Magneto-Optical Micobeads for Sensitive Detection

Colleagues in my lab from Georgia Tech and Emory University have developed dual-modality silica microbeads capable of sensitive detection in a number of bio-applications, using magnetic and optical functionalities. Highlighted in a recent Georgia Tech new release, these beads show promise in blood and urine diagnostics as well as in biodefense. The beads are loaded with both semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) and iron oxide nanoparticles, giving them tunable optical properties as well as magnetic properties. This work was recently published in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.