US Patent 7811830 - Coated nanoparticle photosensitizer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7811830.html

This patent from New Mexico Technical Research Foundation teaches forming a nanoparticle photosensitizer surface modified with an antibody to make the photosensitizer specific to the biological target that is to be treated. Claim 1 reads:

1. A photosensitizer that is excitable via infrared radiation, comprising:

a core nanoparticle that is capable of converting infrared radiation into a visible light emission; and

a coating disposed about said core nanoparticle, wherein said coating contains a light excitable agent that is capable of being excited by the visible light emission from said core nanoparticle.