Tracking Chemotherapy Drug Effects at the Cellular Level

The American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Fall 2026 Meeting is set to take place at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois, from August 24–28^th, 2026.¹ Throughout the week, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from trusted experts about the latest trends and advancements in analytical science.

On the spectroscopy side, there will be numerous talks dedicated to the role that spectroscopy is playing in cancer research. One of these talks, which will be delivered by Jyothi Nair of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, will present research on plasmonic nanoplatforms designed to monitor how chemotherapy drugs affect cancer cells in real time.²

What will Jyothi Nair’s talk at the ACS 2026 Fall Meeting cover?

Nair’s presentation, which is titled "Plasmonic SERS Nanoplatforms for Probing Cancer-associated Molecular Signatures," will detail work using gold nanoparticles combined with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect molecular changes inside cells that are otherwise difficult to observe, including the effects of the widely used chemotherapy drug Paclitaxel.²

Why is Raman spectroscopy being used in cancer diagnostics?

Raman spectroscopy is being used in cancer diagnostics because the technique allows researchers to identify molecules by their unique vibrational "fingerprints" without dyes or labels.¹ However, as the technique became more widely used, researchers have discovered that its limited by weak signal strength, which is a barrier to detecting the subtle molecular changes associated with cancer.¹ SERS overcomes this by using metallic nanostructures to amplify these signals, in some cases down to the single-molecule level.¹

Nair's research applies this amplification through two distinct gold nanoparticle designs, which will be reviewed in her talk. The first, spherical gold nanoparticles, functions as an intracellular probe to track how Paclitaxel, which is a drug that lacks natural fluorescence and is therefore hard to monitor directly inside cells, disrupts microtubule organization and cytoskeletal structure within cancer cells.^1,3 Because Paclitaxel cannot be tracked using standard fluorescence imaging, researchers have had limited tools for directly observing its mechanism of action at the molecular level inside living cells.^1,3

Meanwhile, Nair will explain how the second platform uses hollow gold nanoparticles integrated into a drug-delivery system. This setup allows SERS imaging to track both the release of a therapeutic payload and the cell's molecular response to it.¹ Combining diagnostic imaging and drug delivery in a single nanoplatform reflects a broader move in the field toward technologies that merge treatment and real-time monitoring.¹

By enabling label-free detection of disease-associated molecular signatures at low concentrations, the platforms Nair will present could have potential in being used for both earlier diagnosis and more precise tracking of how tumors respond to treatment.¹

For researchers and clinicians developing cancer therapeutics, the ability to directly visualize a drug's molecular effects inside cells, rather than inferring them indirectly, could inform how treatment responses are evaluated during preclinical and clinical development.¹ As an example, monitoring cytoskeletal disruption at the molecular level offers a more direct readout of Paclitaxel's mechanism than conventional viability assays.¹

Why is this talk important and why should attendees consider attending it?

Currently, cancer research is a hot topic, especially disease diagnostics. Nair’s talk fits into this important area of scientific research. Nair’s talk is also part of a larger session that covers plasmonic and nanostructured sensing platforms for disease diagnostics. Nair's work sits within a growing body of research applying SERS to biomedical problems, driven by the technique's combination of chemical specificity and sensitivity in complex biological environments.¹

Nair’s talk will take place in a 20-minute session slot, running from 9:00 to 9:20 a.m. EDT, as part of the broader conference program at the ACS 2026 Fall Meeting.

References

1. Nair, J. Plasmonic SERS Nanoplatforms for Probing Cancer-associated Molecular Signatures. Presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, August 27, 2026. Available at: https://acs.digitellinc.com/live/37/page/1374?search=spectroscopy&tags=475&window-jn2mj2&window-w33qsi&page=11&window-z5lmft (accessed August 10, 2026).
2. Wetzel, W. Why Spectroscopists Should Attend the ACS Fall 2026 Conference. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/why-spectroscopists-should-attend-the-acs-fall-2026-conference (accessed July 14, 2026).
3. Mayo Clinic, Paclitaxel. Mayo Clinic, 2026. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/paclitaxel-intravenous-route/description/drg-20065247 (accessed August 10, 2026).