Nanostructures for bioimaging and therapy
This research concerns two innovative contrast agents classes: Inorganic nanoparticles that exhibit upconversion fluorescence (UCF; e.g., Yb3+, Tm3+:NaYF4) and nanostructures engineered from animal erythrocytes and containing IR-absorbing dye ICG. Such biocompatible nanoprobes have great potential for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic applications.
Collaborations with the Department for Materials Synthesis, IJS; Department for Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, IJS; the University of California at Irvine; and the University of California at Riverside, USA.
References:
ČERNIČ, Tina, KOREN, Monika, MAJARON, Boris, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja, LISJAK, Darja. Optimisation of amphiphilic-polymer coatings for improved chemical stability of NaYF4-based upconverting nanoparticles. Acta chimica slovenica. 2022, vol. 69, no. 2, 448-457. doi: 10.17344/acsi.2021.7336.
LISJAK, Darja, VOZLIČ, Maša, KOSTIV, Uliana, HORÁK, Daniel, MAJARON, Boris, KRALJ, Slavko, ZAJC, Irena, ŽIBERNA, Lovro, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja. NaYF4 -based upconverting nanoparticles with optimized phosphonate coatings for chemical stability and viability of human endothelial cells. Methods and applications in fluorescence. 2022, vol. 10, no. 1, str. 014001-1-11. doi: 10.1088/2050-6120/ac41ba.
VOZLIČ, Maša, ČERNIČ, Tina, GYERGYEK, Sašo, MAJARON, Boris, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja, KOSTIV, Uliana, HORÁK, Daniel, LISJAK, Darja. Formation of phosphonate coatings for the improved chemical stability of upconverting nanoparticles under physiological conditions. Dalton transactions, 2021, vol. 50, no. 19, 6588-6597. DOI: 10.1039/D1DT00304F
BURNS, Joshua M., SAAGER, Rolf, MAJARON, Boris, JIA, Wangcun, ANVARI, Bahman. Optical properties of biomimetic probes engineered from erythrocytes. Nanotechnology, 2017, vol. 28, no. 3, 035101-1-035101-12.
PLOHL, Olivija, KRALJ, Slavko, MAJARON, Boris, FRÖHLICH, Eleonor, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja, MAKOVEC, Darko, LISJAK, Darja. Amphiphilic coatings for the protection of upconverting nanoparticles against dissolution in aqueous media. Dalton transactions, 2017, vol. 46 (21), 6975-6984.
LISJAK, Darja, PLOHL, Olivija, VIDMAR, Janja, MAJARON, Boris, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja. Dissolution mechanism of upconverting AYF4:Yb, Tm (A = Na or K) nanoparticles in aqueous media. Langmuir, 2016, vol. 32, no. 32, 8222-8229.
LISJAK, Darja, PLOHL, Olivija, PONIKVAR-SVET, Maja, MAJARON, Boris. Dissolution of upconverting fluoride nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions. RSC advances, 2015, vol. 5, no. 35, 27393-27397.
Laser medicine and surgery
Our group is engaged in development of inovative laser treatments and improvement of existing irradiation protocols, primarily in the fields of dermatology (port wine stains), aesthetic surgery (skin rejuvenation, lipolysis), and dentistry. The approaches include detailed numerical modeling, testing in animals models, and clinical trials.
Collaboration with Fotona, d.o.o., Ljubljana, and University of California at Irvine, USA.
References:
GOLMAJER ZIMA, Neža, VERDEL, Nina, LUKAČ, Matjaž, MAJARON, Boris. Objective monitoring of laser tattoo removal in human volunteers using an innovative optical technique: a proof of principle. Lasers in surgery and medicine. 2023, vol. 55, no. 8, str. 724-733. doi: 10.1002/lsm.23720.
MILANIČ, Matija, CENIAN, Adam, VERDEL, Nina, CENIAN, Witold, STERGAR, Jošt, MAJARON, Boris. Temperature depth profiles induced in human skin in vivo using pulsed 975nm irradiation. Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2019, vol. 51, nr. 9, 774-784, doi: 10.1002/lsm.23108.
BURNS, Joshua M., JIA, Wangcun, NELSON, J. Stuart, MAJARON, Boris, ANVARI, Bahman. Photothermal treatment of port wine stains using erythrocyte-derived particles doped with indocyanine green: a theoretical study, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 2018, vol. 23 (12), 121616-1-121616-10.
MAJARON, Boris, MILANIČ, Matija, PREMRU, Jan. Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport in human skin with rigorous treatment of curved tissue boundaries. Journal of biomedical optics, 2015, vol. 20, no. 1, 017001-1-11, doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.20.1.017001
MILANIČ, Matija, MAJARON, Boris. Energy deposition profile in human skin upon irradiation with a 1,342 nm Nd:YAP laser. Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2013, vol. 45, no. 1, 8-14.
JIA, Wangcun, TRAN, Nadia, SUN, Victor, MARINČEK, Marko, MAJARON, Boris, CHOI, Bernard, NELSON, J. Stuart. Photocoagulation of dermal blood vessels with multiple laser pulses in an in vivo microvascular model. Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2012, vol. 44, no. 2, 144-151.
MAJARON, Boris, NELSON, J. Stuart. Laser treatment of Port wine stains. V: WELCH, Ashley J., GEMERT, Martin J. C. van (ur.). Optical-thermal response of laser-irradiated tissue. 2nd ed., Springer, 2011, str. 859-914. [COBISS.SI-ID 24448039]
MILANIČ, Matija, JIA, Wangcun, NELSON, J. Stuart, MAJARON, Boris. Numerical optimization of sequential cryogen spray cooling and laser irradiation for improved therapy of port wine stain. Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2011, vol. 43, no. 2, 164-175.
MILANIČ, Matija, MAJARON, Boris. Three-dimensional Monte Carlo model of pulsed-laser treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions. Journal of biomedical optics, 2011, vol. 16, no. 12, 128002-1-128002-12.
Noninvasive characterization of human tissue in vivo
We are developing inovative approaches for noninvasive characterization of biological tissues in vivo, primarily involving pulsed photo-thermal radiometry and/or diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Potential practical applications of current interest are objective analysis of dermatologic laser treatments (e.g., skin rejuvenation, removal of tatoos) and assessment of the age of traumatic bruises (for forensic investigations).
Collaboration with Fotona d.o.o., Ljubljana, and Department of knowledge technologies (E8).
References:
GOLMAJER ZIMA, Neža, VERDEL, Nina, MAJARON, Boris. Age-related changes of dermal scattering coefficient assessed using a noninvasive optical technique. Proceedings of SPIE. 2023, vol. 12629, 126290J. doi: 10.1117/12.2670891.
ARH, Katja, CVETKO, Tomaž, MAJARON, Boris. Three-dimensional reconstruction of subsurface absorbing structures in tissue phantoms from photothermal radiometric records. Proceedings of SPIE. 2023, vol. 12629, 126290I. doi: 10.1117/12.2670924
KAVČIČ, Aljaž, GARVAS, Maja, MARINČIČ, Matevž, UNGER, Katrin, COCLITE, Anna Maria, MAJARON, Boris, HUMAR, Matjaž. Deep tissue localization and sensing using optical microcavity probes. Nature communications. 2022, vol. 13, str. 1269-1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28904-6
GOLMAJER ZIMA, Neža, MAJARON, Boris. Elimination of single-beam substitution error in diffuse reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere revisited. Proceedings of SPIE, 2022, vol. 12147, 121470L. doi: 10.1117/12.2621120.
MARIN, Ana, VERDEL, Nina, MILANIČ, Matija, MAJARON, Boris. Noninvasive monitoring of dynamical processes in bruised human skin using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and pulsed photothermal radiometry. Sensors, 2021, vol. 21, 302-1-19. doi: 10.3390/s21010302.
VERDEL, Nina, TANEVSKI, Jovan, DŽEROSKI, Sašo, MAJARON, Boris. Predictive model for quantitative analysis of human skin using photothermal radiometry and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Biomedical optics express, 2020, vol. 11, no. 3, 1679-1696. doi: 10.1364/BOE.384982
VERDEL, Nina, MARIN, Ana, MILANIČ, Matija, MAJARON, Boris. Physiological and structural characterization of human skin in vivo using combined photothermal radiometry and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Biomedical optics express, 2019, vol. 10, no. 2, 944-960.
NAGLIČ, Peter, VIDOVIČ, Luka, MILANIČ, Matija, RANDEBERG, Lise L., MAJARON, Boris. Suitability of diffusion approximation for an inverse analysis of diffuse reflectance spectra from human skin in vivo. OSA continuum, 2019, vol. 2, no. 3, 905-922, doi: 10.1364/OSAC.2.000905.
VERDEL, Nina, LENTSCH, Griffin, BALU, Mihaela, TROMBERG, Bruce J., MAJARON, Boris. Noninvasive assessment of skin structure by combined photothermal radiometry and optical spectroscopy : coregistration with multiphoton microscopy. Applied optics, 2018, vol. 57, no. 18, D117-D122.
VIDOVIČ, Luka, MILANIČ, Matija, MAJARON, Boris. Objective characterization of bruise evolution using photothermal depth profiling and Monte Carlo modeling. Journal of biomedical optics, 2015, vol. 20, no. 1, 017001-1-12.
VIDOVIČ, Luka, MAJARON, Boris. Elimination of single-beam substitution error in diffuse reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere. Journal of biomedical optics, 2014, vol. 19, no. 2, 027006-1-027006-9.