Won Park heads Aurora’s Nano research.

Dr. Park’s nanophotonics lab at CU Boulder studies light-matter interaction in nanoscale materials and structures and deveop photonic devices based on them. Examples are plasmonic nanostructures, photonic crystals, metamaterials and metasurfaces, high-Q resonators, and luminescent materials. We conduct extensive theoretical modeling studies, synthesis and fabrication of nanostructures and spectroscopy and microscopy to demonstrate novel optical phenomena. Targeted applications include nonlinear and quantum optical devices, energy harvesting devices, biomedical imaging and nano-medicine approach for cancer treatment..

Dr. Wounjhang (Won) Park

Sheppard Professor and Associate Chair for Research
Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering
Materials Science & Engineering Program 
Biomedical Engineering Program
University of Colorado Boulder

Nanoparticles - at the forefront of medical advances.

A nanoparticle–biomolecule conjugate is a nanoparticle with biomolecules attached to its surface. Nanoparticles are minuscule particles, typically measured in nanometers (nm), that are used in nanobiotechnology to explore the functions of biomolecules. Properties of the ultrafine particles are characterized by the components on their surfaces more so than larger structures, such as cells, due to large surface area-to-volume ratios. Large surface area-to-volume-ratios of nanoparticles optimize the potential for interactions with biomolecules.

Did you know?

Our team has used nanoparticles targeted to the EGF receptor to eliminate bladder cancer in a mouse model.

Multifunctional nanoclusters of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+upconversion nanoparticle and gold nanorod for simultaneous imaging and targeted chemotherapy of bladder cancer.

Materials Science and Engineering: C, Volume 97, April 2019, Pages 784-792 Suehyun K.Cho, Lih-Jen Su, Chenchen Mao, Connor D. Wolenskia, Thomas W.Flaig, Wounjhang Park

–> Multifunctional nanoclusters enable simultaneous detection and treatment of cancer

• Upconversion nanoparticles allow high sensitivity fluorescence detection of cancer cells

• Plasmonic aided optoporation of cancer cells enable highly selective chemotherapy

• Efficient cell binding and optoporation-enabled chemotherapy was demonstrated within a clinically relevant time scale.