IBMI Nanomedicine and Biomarkers

Gujrati Lab

Our research is focused on advancing contrast enhancement, drug-delivery strategies and biomarker studies to deliver preclinical information using optical and optoacoustic imaging techniques.

Gujrati Lab

Our research is focused on advancing contrast enhancement, drug-delivery strategies and biomarker studies to deliver preclinical information using optical and optoacoustic imaging techniques.

Go to Dr. Vipul Gujrati

About our Research

The Nanomedicine & Biomarkers team conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and engineering. In a collaborative and innovation-driven environment, we develop multifunctional nanotechnology tools using bio-inspired and synthetic materials. These tools aim to map disease-specific biomarkers and enable early, precise targeting of diseased cells for both imaging and therapeutic applications.

Our research integrates nanotechnology with advanced imaging techniques to explore molecular differences between metabolic disorders, cancer, and the microenvironment of healthy tissues. These insights pave the way for novel strategies in disease diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.

🧬 Contrast Enhancement & Drug Delivery

We focus on the rational design and synthesis of bioengineered and synthetic nano-agents tailored for optoacoustic imaging (MSOT), near-infrared fluorescence imaging, and targeted drug delivery. Our goal is to create multifunctional, activatable agents that enhance contrast, monitor disease progression, and support therapeutic interventions.
We develop nano-agents from engineered cells and synthetic (organic and inorganic) materials, study their interactions with biological systems, and evaluate their safety and efficacy in preclinical disease models.

🔬 Metabolic & Vascular Imaging

Using cutting-edge, label-free multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT), we investigate preclinical models of metabolic and vascular diseases. MSOT enables real-time visualization of physiological parameters such as tissue oxygenation, hemoglobin gradients, vascular architecture, and tissue perfusion.
This molecular and biomarker-based imaging approach is particularly valuable for predicting disease states and assessing therapeutic outcomes.

💡 Phototherapy Monitoring

Our light-activatable nano-agents are designed to achieve precise disease targeting through photothermal or photodynamic therapy. Upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) light, these agents induce localized heating (hyperthermia) or generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), triggering therapeutic effects within the tissue microenvironment.
We use MSOT imaging to monitor these processes in vivo and to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying light-induced cell death.

Our vision is to harness the power of nanotechnology, molecular imaging, and machine learning to develop next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic platforms for personalized medicine.

Smart Nanomedicines

In this project, our focus is on cell engineering and development of bio-inspired nanocarriers for theranostic applications.

Contrast Agents

Exogenous synthetic contrast agents are required for contrast-enhanced imaging and functional analysis. We are focusing on the development of contrast agents with absorption in the NIR-I and NIR-II windows.

Multi-Spectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT):

MSOT captures images at different wavelengths and resolves spectral signatures, which helps to visualise and quantify optoacoustic signals from across the body due to different chromophores in tissue.

Metabolic Imaging:

Metabolic imaging provides valuable information about tissue function, disease state, and response to therapy by directly sensing metabolites or measuring metabolic processes in healthy and diseased states.

Phototherapy:

Optical materials can convert near-infrared (NIR) light into heat (hyperthermia or photothermal therapy), reactive oxygen species (photodynamic therapy), or UV/ visible photons (using upconversion nanomaterial) to produce cytotoxic effects or controlled drug release.

Our Researchers

Scan_5 m5-1h-LinReg_1 (ortho)

Scan_5 m5-1h-LinReg_2

Brain

Spectra

Metabolic Imaging

Metabolic imaging provides valuable information about tissue function, disease state, and response to therapy by directly sensing metabolites or measuring metabolic processes in healthy and diseased states.

Motivation

MSOT is used for non-invasive monitoring of metabolism and metabolic processes without the use of non-ionising radiations. MSOT enables the label-free measurement of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin and, thus, the tissue oxygenation state, or oxygen utilisation, which indicates the rate of metabolic processes.

Research focus

MSOT-based assessment of tissue oxygenated to deoxygenated hemoglobin gradients.
Monitoring metabolic changes in activated mouse adipose tissues.
Monitoring of metabolic changes in exercise and disease states, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid metabolism, and cancer.

Phototherapy

Hyperthermia and Photodynamic therapy: Optical materials can convert near-infrared (NIR) light into heat (hyperthermia or photothermal therapy), reactive oxygen species (photodynamic therapy), or UV/ visible photons (using upconversion nanomaterial) to produce cytotoxic effects or controlled drug release.

Motivation

NIR light enables phototherapy with minimal toxic side effects and high penetration into the biological tissues. Importantly, the dose of NIR light can be regulated or improved for different aspects. In NIR-based phototherapy, the cytotoxic effects are mainly observed due to the direct cellular damage, increased vascular permeability or damage, immune response, and controlled drug delivery.

Research focus

Cancer treatment with hyperthermia
Photodynamic cancer therapy
Monitoring of photoimmunotherapy using MSOT
MSOT-based monitoring of phototherapy effects on the tissue microenvironment
Monitoring targeted drug delivery and therapeutic response using photoactivatable agents.

Dr. Ajay Kesharwani

Postdoc

"Shining a light on the brain's mysteries: genetically modified extracellular vesicles and MSOT lead the way."

We are working on targeting and imaging the brain of live mice with genetically modified EVs using non-invasive Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT)

We develop nanoagents that are safe, non-toxic, have enhanced optical absorption, efficient optoacoustic generation, and effective light-to-heat conversion. We use these smart nanoagents for precise disease targeting and controlled theranostic applications.

Our research interest:

Optoacoustic imaging
Contrast agents
Bioengineering and Biomaterials
Drug Delivery
Diagnosis and therapy monitoring
Cancer
Metabolic Diseases
Phototherapy (Hyperthermia and Photodynamic therapy)
Regenerative Therapy
Immunotherapy

2023 Cancer Nanotechnology

Liu N, Gujrati V*, Werner JPF, Mishra K, Anzenhofer P, Stiel AC, Mettenleiter G, Feuchtinger A, Walch A, Ntziachristos V*. Bacterial outer membrane vesicles as cationic dye carriers for optoacoustics-guided phototherapy of cancer.

2022 Nanophotonics

Liu N, O’Connor P, Gujrati V*, Anzenhofer P, Klemm U, Kleigrewe K, Sattler M, Plettenburg O, Ntziachristos V* Multifunctional croconaine nanoparticles for efficient optoacoustic imaging of deep tumors and photothermal therapy.

2022 Journal of Biomedical Optics

Madasamy A, Gujrati V, Ntziachristos V, Prakash J. Deep learning methods hold promise for light fluence compensation in three-dimensional optoacoustic imaging.

2022 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

Liu N, Mishra K, Stiel AC, Gujrati V, Ntziachristos V. The sound of drug delivery: Optoacoustic imaging in pharmacology.

2021 Scientific Reports

Yun M, You SK, Nguyen VH, Prakash J, Glasl S, Gujrati V, Choy HE, Stiel AC, Min JJ, Ntziachristos V. Reporter gene-based optoacoustic imaging of E. coli targeted colon cancer in vivo.

2021 Photoacoustics

Liu N, Gujrati V, Najafabadi JM, Werner JPF, Klemm U, Tang L, Chen Z, Prakash J, Huang Y, Stiel A, Mettenleiter G, Aichler M, Blutke A, Walch A, Kleigrewe K, Razansky D, Sattler M, Ntziachristos V. Croconaine-based nanoparticles enable efficient optoacoustic imaging of murine brain tumors.

2021 Advanced Healthcare Materials

Liu, N., O'Connor, P., Gujrati, V*, Gorpas, D., Glasl, S., Blutke, A., Walch, A., Kleigrewe, K., Sattler, M., Plettenburg, O., Ntziachristos, V., Facile Synthesis of a Croconaine-Based Nanoformulation for Optoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

2021 Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing

Prakash J, Seyedebrahimi MM, Ghazaryan A, Najafabadi JM, Gujrati V, Ntziachristos V. Cooled infrared optoacoustic spectroscopy (CIROAS) for accurate sensing based on water muting.

2021 Methods in Enzymology

Gujrati V, Ntziachristos V. Bioengineered bacterial vesicles for optoacoustics-guided phototherapy.

2020 Science Advances

Mishra K, Stankevych M, Werner JPF, Grassmann S, Gujrati V, Huang Y, Klemm U, Buchholz VR, Ntziachristos V, Stie ACl. Multiplexed whole-animal imaging with reversibly switchable optoacoustic proteins.

2020 Light: Science & Applications

Li J, Chekkoury A, Prakash J, Glasl S, Vetschera P, Koberstein-Schwarz B, Olefir I, Gujrati V, Omar M, Ntziachristos V. Spatial heterogeneity of oxygenation and haemodynamics in breast cancer resolved in vivo by conical multispectral optoacoustic mesoscopy.

2020 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Prakash J, Seyedebrahimi MM, Ghazaryan A, Najafabadi JM, Gujrati V, Ntziachristos V. Short-wavelength optoacoustic spectroscopy based on water muting.

2019 Biomedical Optics Express

Chen Z, Deán-Ben XL, Liu N, Gujrati V, Gottschalk S, Ntziachristos V, Razansky D. Concurrent fluorescence and volumetric optoacoustic tomography of nanoagent perfusion and bio-distribution in solid tumors.

2019 Nature Communications

Gujrati V, Prakash J, Najafabadi JM, Stiel AC, Klemm U, Mettenleiter G, Aichler M, Walch A, Ntziachristos V. Bioengineered bacterial vesicles as biological nano-heaters for optoacoustic imaging.

2019 Chemical Communications

Gujrati V, Mishra A, Ntziachristos V. Molecular imaging probes for multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography.

Nanomedicine & Biomarkers

About our Research

🧬 Contrast Enhancement & Drug Delivery

🔬 Metabolic & Vascular Imaging

💡 Phototherapy Monitoring

Our Focus

Smart Nanomedicines

Contrast Agents

Multi-Spectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT):

Metabolic Imaging:

Phototherapy:

Our Researchers

Dr. Vipul Gujrati

Panhang Liu

Dr. Divyesh Shelar

Scan_5 m5-1h-LinReg_1 (ortho)

Scan_5 m5-1h-LinReg_2

Brain

Spectra

Metabolic Imaging

Phototherapy

Dr. Ajay Kesharwani

Postdoc

Our Topic

Looking for a new challenge?

We welcome Ph.D. and Postdoc applicants who are interested in applying for a fellowship with IBMI as the host institute.

Publications

Nanomedicine & Biomarkers: Contact

Dr. Vipul Gujrati

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