Specifically, the impact is proposed in the development of a theranostic agent that will consist of a gold core (plasmonic NPs) of anisotropic shape to provide localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in near-infrared (NIR) embedded into a thermo and pH-responsive polymeric shell loaded with a cytotoxic drug – Doxorubicin. Such nanoformulations will be tested in simulated biological conditions (aqueous solution and solid matrices –biological phantoms–) and optimized iteratively to demonstrate: (i) the thermal response of “nano heaters” in order to conclude the potential for plasmon-induced photothermal therapy (PTT) and (ii) the delivery of the incorporated drug to conclude the potential for nanochemotherapy.

Notably, it is expected that the two therapeutic effects could be triggered simultaneously under NIR excitation and to operate synergistically by combining pH- and thermo- responsiveness of the polymeric shell with plasmon resonance of gold nanocore. The innovative design of these nanoplatforms offers the possibility to be exploited not only in multimodal therapy but also in diagnostic and could be transferred to in vitro and in vivo applications.