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Department of Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport Patent Title Assembly comprising an absorber of near infrared (NIR) light covalently linked to an inhibitor of Carbonic Anhydrase. Ref. CNR 10275 Assignee (s): CNR CNR Institute: IFAC Main Inventor: Roberto Pini Countries: EP, US Priority date: 07/03/2013 Abstract The present invention refers to the pharmaceutical field and in particular to an assembly comprising an absorber of near infrared (NIR) light covalently linked to an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase (CA) which can be used as contrast agent in imaging techniques such as photo-acoustic imaging and can be also used as therapeutic agent, specifically designed to hyperthermally target tumours by application of a near infrared light, for example from a laser, or for treating other conditions in which the CA activity is involved. Background The synergy between nanotechnology, biophotonics and cell biology may provide an innovative, versatile and efficient tool for the diagnosis and treatment of many different tumor types, regardless of the variability of receptors expressed by cancer cells at various stages of their development. Technology The invention relates to the formulation of nanostructured hybrid material, i.e. gold nanoparticles conjugated to a molecule (inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase). These nanoparticles are administered systemically in the body and activated by laser radiation to achieve minimally invasive cancer therapies, such as laser hyperthermia or intracellular release of pre-loaded anti-cancer drugs. Advantages and Applications This approach allows to bypass many of the current problems linked to selective “targeting” of malignant cells, for example those due to the variability of receptors expressed by cancer cells in various stages of development, while also providing new prospects for therapeutic indications for different types of tumors. Development stage The technique has been implemented and validated in cell culture. The results have been reported in press releases, publications and at international conferences. 29