The NanoMed Fab supports a wide spectrum of existing and future research programs within UHN and collaborating institutions, accelerating the translation of novel nanomedicine-based agents to early-phase clinical trials. These research programs are each scientifically and technologically cutting-edge and address significant challenges in cancer and vascular disease, each of which represent substantial human and socioeconomic burdens. These interdisciplinary research programs will take full advantage of the existing complementary imaging facilities, which are ideally created for exploring the full potential of nanomedicine. The NanoMed Fab will also be made accessible to the wider R&D community in Canada, both academic and industrial. 

Supported projects

1. NP-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes for early lung cancer detection and Raman image-guided prostate cancer surgery.
2. Biomimetic NPs for siRNA delivery in cancer and cardiovascular disease.
3. Nanotechnology-enabled image-guided interventions in vascular and lung diseases.
4. Nanoparticle Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging for Cancer Localization and Therapeutic Guidance.
5. Porphysomes: Develop metalloporphysomes as PET/MRI Contrast Agents for Prostate Cancer Imaging.
6. A novel PET agent for accurate and sensitive detection of tumors and lymph node metastases in head and neck cancer.
7. Filling the Gap for Personalized Nanomedicine: Preclinical Toxicology and Early Phase Assessment of Porphysomes in Ovarian and H&N Cancers.
8. Utilizing porphyrin microbubble-to-nanoparticle conversion for photodynamic therapy of recurrent prostate cancer post radiation failure.
9. Improving cure improving cure rate of early stage lung cancer with personalized Nanomedicine.
10. Multimodality liposomal NP-based cancer imaging agents, including x-ray computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescence optical imaging.