Tailoring Quantum Dot Interfaces for Improved Biofunctionality and Energy Transfer

Near infrared bioluminescence resonance energy transfer from firefly luciferase—quantum dot bionanoconjugates

“…Next, the His-capped QD(800) are incubated with PPyGRTS at increasing loading ratios, L = [PPyGRTS]/ [QD(800)] = 0.5-10. The PPyGRTS were coordinated to the QD interface using the 6xHis tag [14,28,30], allowing for short donor-acceptor distances. If required, excess PPyGRTS could be removed by addition of nickel loaded colloids to absorb the 6xHis tag, followed by removal through centrifugation.…”

Simultaneous capture and in situ analysis of circulating tumor cells using multiple hybrid nanoparticles

“…However, CTC capture using multiple antibodies may limit accurate analysis of in situ expression of some surface biomarkers, as many candidates for CTC capture are also important markers for CTC characterization. Considering the limited number of known surface proteins specific to each cancer subtype and the extremely rare nature of CTCs, it would be beneficial to perform both positive selection and in situ expression analysis by targeting the same maker using a single compound (Zylstra et al, 2012). To solve this challenge, we developed a hybrid nanoparticle (HNP), which consists of three parts: (i) antibodies that bind to specific surface proteins on CTCs, (ii) a quantum dot that emits fluorescence signals upon excitation, and (iii) biotinylated DNA that are used by an in-housed developed, streptavidin-coated chip to capture only CTCs.…”