Remotely controlled near-infrared-triggered photothermal treatment of brain tumours in freely behaving mice using gold nanostars

Current clinical brain tumour therapy practices are based on tumour resection and post-operative chemotherapy or X-ray radiation. Resection requires technically challenging open-skull surgeries that can lead to major neurological deficits and, in some cases, death. Treatments with X-ray and chemotherapy, on the other hand, cause major side-effects such as damage to surrounding normal brain tissues and other organs. Here we report the development of an integrated nanomedicine–bioelectronics brain–machine interface that enables continuous and on-demand treatment of brain tumours, without open-skull surgery and toxicological side-effects on other organs. Near-infrared surface plasmon characteristics of our gold nanostars enabled the precise treatment of deep brain tumours in freely behaving mice. Moreover, the nanostars’ surface coating enabled their selective diffusion in tumour tissues after intratumoral administration, leading to the exclusive heating of tumours for treatment. This versatile remotely controlled and wireless method allows the adjustment of nanoparticles’ photothermal strength, as well as power and wavelength of the therapeutic light, to target tumours in different anatomical locations within the brain. Current treatment of brain tumour entails open-skull tumour resection and follow-up X-ray radiation or chemotherapy, with surgery-associated risks and side-effects. Here a photothermal approach is presented that relies on wireless near-infrared stimulation for continuous, on-demand treatment of brain tumours in free-moving animals.