# Enhancing Laser Lithotripsy via Nanoparticle Fine-Tuned NIR absorption

> **NIH NIH P20** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $390,024

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Ureteroscopy (URS) via laser lithotripsy (LL) is the treatment of choice for urinary stone disease (USD), which is
the second most costly urologic condition in the US with an annual healthcare expenditure over $2 billion. The
recent clinical introduction of high power/high frequency Holmium (Ho): YAG lasers and Thulium Fiber Laser
(TFL) have fundamentally altered the mode of LL operation. Instead of the conventional fragmenting mode with
basket extraction of sizable fragments, contemporary LL is often performed using dusting and pop-dusting
modes that pulverize stone to dust in situ without the need for fragment extraction. The challenges in dusting
and pop-dusting at present, however, are three-fold: 1) the mechanism of action is not fully understood, 2) the
optimal treatment condition varies significantly with stone compositions, and 3) rapid temperature rise is
produced during high power pop-dusting. Consequently, there is an unmet need to develop new and clinically
deployable technologies capable of improving the treatment efficiency regardless of stone compositions,
shortening the procedure time, while concomitantly lessening the risk of renal tissue injury. The overarching goal
of this Duke University FORWARD Urology Center (P20) application is to foster and support the career
development of Dr. Po-Chun Hsu, PhD who is a promising early-stage investigator with expertise in
nanotechnology, yet new to the field of USD and benign urology. The Center's Research Project has three
Specific Aims focusing on (1) Developing biologically safe nanoparticles with absorption peak optimized for
Ho:YAG laser (=2.1 m) and TFL (=1.94 m); (2) Investigating the effects of nanoparticle-enhanced pop-
dusting in a hydrogel-based kidney model, and (3) Exploring the effects of nanoparticle-enhanced pop-dusting
in a porcine model. The Center's Administrative Core has two Specific Aims: (1) Facilitating productive
collaborations among the Research Project Team and with the broader CAIRIBU research community, and (2)
Fostering and supporting the career development plan for Dr. Hsu. Furthermore, we will leverage the knowledge,
resources, and experience accumulated from a recently completed P20 exploratory center on LL at Duke (PI:
Zhong, PhD), together with the support of the NIDDK CAIRIBU Interactions Core (PI: Penniston, PhD) and the
Columbia U54 Center (co-PI: Barasch, PhD/MD) on assessment of renal injury in a porcine model. Synergies,
preliminary data, and knowledge created by this P20 FORWARD program will support future R01 applications
on nanotechnology-enhanced LL and the broad range of USD research through the NIDDK CAIRIBU program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10596707
- **Project number:** 1P20DK135107-01
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTINE K PAYNE
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $390,024
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-21 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10596707

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10596707, Enhancing Laser Lithotripsy via Nanoparticle Fine-Tuned NIR absorption (1P20DK135107-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10596707. Licensed CC0.

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