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.

Go to Dr. Vipul Gujrati

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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)

VGujrati Wissenschaftsbild — MSOT captures images at different wavelengths

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

Berger, C. ; Kim, M. ; Platz, L.I. ; Eigenberger, A. ; Prantl, L. ; Liu, P. ; Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Jüstel, D. ; Pleitez, M.A.

Bayesian reconstruction of rapidly scanned mid-infrared optoacoustic signals enables fast, label-free chemical microscopy.

Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Prakash, J. ; Razansky, D. ; Ripoll, J. ; Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Nonlinearity of optoacoustic signals and a new contrast mechanism for imaging.

Huang, Y. ; Stankevych, M. ; Gujrati, V. ; Klemm, U. ; Mohammed, A. ; Wiesner, D. ; Saccomano, M. ; Tost, M. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Mishra, K. ; Bruns, O.T. ; Geerlof, A. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Stiel, A.-C.

Photoswitching protein-XTEN fusions as injectable optoacoustic probes.

Liu, N. ; O'Connor, P. ; Gujrati, V. ; Shelar, D. ; Ma, X. ; Anzenhofer,P. ; Klemm, U. ; Su, X. ; Huang, Y. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Walch, A.K. ; Sattler, M. ; Plettenburg, O. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Tuning the photophysical properties of cyanine by barbiturate functionalization and nanoformulation for efficient optoacoustics- guided phototherapy.

Kesharwani, A. ; Gujrati, V.

Multimodal techniques and strategies for chemical and metabolic imaging at the single-cell level.

Müller, M. ; Liu, N. ; Gujrati, V. ; Valavalkar, A. ; Hartmann, S. ; Anzenhofer,P. ; Klemm, U. ; Telek, A. ; Dietzek-Ivanšić, B. ; Hartschuh, A. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Thorn-Seshold, O.

Merged molecular switches excel as optoacoustic dyes: Azobenzene-cyanines are loud and photostable NIR imaging agents.

Liu, N. ; Gujrati, V. ; Fuenzalida Werner, J.P. ; Mishra, K. ; Anzenhofer,P. ; Stiel, A.-C. ; Mettenleiter, G. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Walch, A.K. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles as cationic dye carriers for optoacoustics-guided phototherapy of cancer.

Madasamy, A. ; Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Prakash, J.

Deep learning methods hold promise for light fluence compensation in three-dimensional optoacoustic imaging.

Liu, N. ; Mishra, K. ; Stiel, A.-C. ; Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V.

The sound of drug delivery: Optoacoustic imaging in pharmacology.

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.

Liu, N. ; O'Connor, P. ; Gujrati, V. ; Gorpas, D. ; Glasl, S. ; Blutke, A. ; Walch, A.K. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Sattler, M. ; Plettenburg, O. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Facile synthesis of a croconaine-based nanoformulation for optoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy.

Yun, M. ; You, S.H. ; Nguyen, V.H. ; Prakash, J. ; Glasl, S. ; Gujrati, V. ; Choy, H.E. ; Stiel, A.-C. ; Min, J.J. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Reporter gene-based optoacoustic imaging of E. coli targeted colon cancer in vivo.

Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Bioengineered bacterial vesicles for optoacoustics-guided phototherapy.

Liu, N. ; Gujrati, V. ; Malekzadeh-Najafabadi, J. ; Werner, J.P,F. ; Klemm, U. ; Tang, L. ; Chen, Z. ; Prakash, J. ; Huang, Y. ; Stiel, A.-C. ; Mettenleiter, G. ; Aichler, M. ; Blutke, A. ; Walch, A.K. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Razansky, D. ; Sattler, M. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Croconaine-based nanoparticles enable efficient optoacoustic imaging of murine brain tumors.

Liu, N. ; O'Connor, P. ; Gujrati, V. ; Gorpas, D. ; Glasl, S. ; Blutke, A. ; Walch, A.K. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Sattler, M. ; Plettenburg, O. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Facile synthesis of a croconaine-based nanoformulation for optoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy.

Mohr, H. ; Ballke, S. ; Bechmann, N. ; Gulde, S. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Peitzsch, M. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Steiger, K. ; Wiedemann, T. ; Pellegata, N.S.

Mutation of the cell cycle regulator p27kip1 drives pseudohypoxic pheochromocytoma development.

Longo, A. ; Morscher, S. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Jüstel, D. ; Zakian Dominguez, C.M. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Assessment of hessian-based Frangi vesselness filter in optoacoustic imaging.

Mishra, K. ; Stankevych, M. ; Fuenzalida Werner, J.P. ; Grassmann, S. ; Gujrati, V. ; Huang, Y. ; Klemm, U. ; Buchholz, V.R. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Stiel, A.-C.

Multiplexed whole-animal imaging with reversibly switchable optoacoustic proteins.

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.

Ovsepian, S.V. ; Jiang, Y. ; Sardella, T.C.P. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Burton, N.C. ; Yu, X. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Visualizing cortical response to optogenetic stimulation and sensory inputs using multispectral handheld optoacoustic imaging.

Prakash, J. ; Seyedebrahimi, M.M. ; Ghazaryan, A. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Gujrati, V. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Short-wavelength optoacoustic spectroscopy based on water muting.

Liu, N. ; Shi, Y. ; Guo, J. ; Li, H. ; Wang, Q. ; Song, M. ; Shi, Z. ; He, L. ; Su, X. ; Xie, J. ; Sun, X.

Radioiodinated tyrosine based carbon dots with efficient renal clearance for single photon emission computed tomography of tumor.

Chen, Z. ; Dean-Ben, X.L. ; 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.

Gujrati, V. ; Prakash, J. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Stiel, A.-C. ; Klemm, U. ; Mettenleiter, G. ; Aichler, M. ; Walch, A.K. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Bioengineered bacterial vesicles as biological nano-heaters for optoacoustic imaging.

Olefir, I. ; Ghazaryan, A. ; Yang, H. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Glasl, S. ; Symvoulidis, P. ; O'Leary, V.B. ; Sergiadis, G. ; Ntziachristos, V. ; Ovsepian, S.V.

Spatial and spectral mapping and decomposition of neural dynamics and organization of the mouse brain with multispectral optoacoustic tomography.

Neuschmelting, V. ; Kim, K. ; Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Jebiwott, S. ; Prakash, J. ; Scherz, A. ; Coleman, J.A. ; Kircher, M.F. ; Ntziachristos, V.

WST11 vascular targeted photodynamic therapy effect monitoring by multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) in mice.

Malekzadeh Najafabadi, J. ; Prakash, J. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Nonlinear optoacoustic readings from diffusive media at near-infrared wavelengths.

Gujrati, V. ; Mishra, A. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Molecular imaging probes for multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography.

Lin, S. ; Liu, N. ; Yang, Z. ; Song, W. ; Wang, P. ; Chen, H. ; Lucio, M. ; Schmitt-Kopplin, P. ; Chen, G. ; Cai, Z.

GC/MS-based metabolomics reveals fatty acid biosynthesis and cholesterol metabolism in cell lines infected with influenza A virus.