We demonstrate the first reported methodology using nanowires that unveils massive numbers of cancer-related urinary microRNAs.

Rod-shaped AgInTe2 nanocrystals (NCs) exhibiting intense near-band edge photoluminescence in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength region, were successfully prepared by the thermal reaction of metal acetates and Te precursors in 1-dodecanethiol. Increasing the reaction temperature resulted in the formation of larger AgInTe2 NCs with crystal structures varying from hexagonal to tetragonal at reaction temperatures of 280 °C or higher. The energy gap was increased from 1.13 to 1.20 eV with a decrease in rod width from 8.3 to 5.6 nm, accompanied by a blue shift in the photoluminescence (PL) peak wavelength from 1097 to 1033 nm. The optimal PL quantum yield was approximately 18% for AgInTe2 NCs with rod widths of 5.6 nm. The applicability of AgInTe2 NCs as a NIR-emitting material for in vivo biological imaging was examined by injecting AgInTe2 NC-incorporated liposomes into the back of a C57BL/6 mouse, followed by in vivo photoluminescence imaging in the NIR region.

The metalogranic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth of site-controlled nanowhiskers having a single preferential growth direction is accomplished by using a SiO2 window mask. A small window size (200×200 nm in this experiment) is essential for growing a single whisker from a single Au- seed cluster formed inside each window of the mask. The presence of the SiO2 mask greatly influences the MOVPE growth process, especially the growth direction and resultant diameter of the whiskers. This influence may be due to surface migration of the source materials or source gas diffusion near the surface from the masked region to the window region.

A peptide–nanowire interface that can effectively capture cancer-derived exosomes and release captured intact exosomes was constructed.

Micro-and nanopillar chips are widely used to separate and enrich biomolecules, such as DNA, RNA, protein, and cells, as an analytical technique and to provide a confined nanospace for polymer science analyses. Herein, we demonstrated a continuous accurate and precise separation technique for extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanometer-sized vesicles (typically 50−200 nm) currently recognized as novel biomarkers present in biofluids, based on the principle of electroosmotic flow-driven deterministic lateral displacement in micro-and nanopillar array chips. Notably, the easy-to-operate flow control afforded by electroosmotic flow allowed nanoparticles 50−500 nm in size, including EVs, to be precisely separated and enriched in a continuous manner. By observation of the flow behavior of nanoparticles, we found that electroosmotic flow velocity in the nanopillar arrays did not solely depend on counterion mobility on the surface of nanopillar chips, but rather showed a parabolic flow profile. This hydrodynamic pressure-free and easy-to-use separation and enrichment technique, which requires only electrode insertion into the reservoirs and electric field application, may thus serve as a promising technique for future precise and accurate EV analysis, reflecting both size and composition for research and potential clinical diagnostic applications.