Multimodal nanoparticles for non-invasive bio-imaging

A method of therapy comprising:

• providing a multimodal nanoparticle comprising a dielectric core comprising at least one oxide, a speckled metal deposition on said core where said metal deposition and said dielectric core have an interface with interpenetrated gradient, and a plurality of at least one moiety that exhibits luminescence, magnetic or paramagnetic properties, or any combination thereof, wherein said multimodal nanoparticle is a contrast agent for photo acoustic tomography (PAT) imaging and x-ray imaging, and at least one of luminescence imaging and/or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging;
• delivering said multimodal nanoparticle to a target region;
• and
• irradiating said target region with electromagnetic radiation, wherein said multimodal nanoparticle generates heat upon absorption of said radiation, and wherein said heat is of sufficient intensity to destroy said target region.

A method of therapy comprising:

• providing a multimodal nanoparticle comprising a dielectric core comprising at least one oxide, a speckled metal deposition on said core where said metal deposition and said dielectric core have an interface with interpenetrated gradient, and a plurality of at least one moiety that exhibits luminescence, magnetic or paramagnetic properties, or any combination thereof, wherein said multimodal nanoparticle is a contrast agent for photo acoustic tomography (PAT) imaging and x-ray imaging, and at least one of luminescence imaging and/or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging;
• delivering said multimodal nanoparticle to a desired target region;
• and
• irradiating said target region with neutrons, wherein said multimodal nanoparticle generates gamma-rays, X-rays and Auger electrons upon absorption of said neutrons, and wherein said emitted gamma rays, X-rays and Auger electrons are of sufficient intensity to destroy said target region.