Gold nanorod-sensitized cell death: Microscopic observation of single living cells irradiated by pulsed near-infrared laser light in the presence of gold nanorods

Pulsed near-infrared (near-IR) laser irradiation damaged cultured cells in the presence of phosphatidylcholine- passivated gold nanorods (PC-NRs). When single cells were irradiated with a focused pulsed near-IR laser, photoreaction of the PC-NRs caused damage within a very small area around the PC-NRs, and achieved selective cell death of single cells.