Gold nanoparticles based colorimetric nanodiagnostics for cancer and infectious diseases

Paola Valentini; Stefano Persano; Paola Cecere; Stefania Sabella; Pier Paolo Pompa

doi:10.1117/12.2039761

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24 March 2014 Gold nanoparticles based colorimetric nanodiagnostics for cancer and infectious diseases

Paola Valentini, Stefano Persano, Paola Cecere, Stefania Sabella, Pier Paolo Pompa

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Proceedings Volume 8955, Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications IX; 89551E (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2039761
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Traditional in vitro diagnostics requires specialized laboratories and costly instrumentation, both for the amplification of nucleic acid targets (usually achieved by PCR) and for the assay readout, often based on fluorescence. We are developing hybrid nanomaterials-based sensors for the rapid and low-cost diagnosis of various disease biomarkers, for applications in portable platforms for diagnostics at the point-of-care. To this aim, we exploited the size and distancedependent optical properties of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to achieve colorimetric detection. Moreover, in order to avoid the complexity of thermal cycles associated to traditional PCR, the design of our systems includes signal amplification schemes, achieved by the use of enzymes (nucleases, helicase) or DNAzymes. Focused on instrument-free and sensitive detection, we carefully combined the intrinsic sensitivity by multivalency of functionalized AuNPs with isothermal and non-stringent enzyme-aided reaction conditions, controlled AuNPs aggregates, universal reporters and magnetic microparticles, the latter used both as a substrate and as a means for the colorimetric detection. We obtained simple and robust assays for the sensitive (pM range or better) naked-eye detection of cancer or infectious diseases (HPV, HCV) biomarkers, requiring no instrumentation except for a simple heating plate. Finally, we are also developing non-medical applications of these bio-nanosensors, such as in the development of on-field rapid tests for the detection of pollutants and other food and water contaminants.

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Paola Valentini, Stefano Persano, Paola Cecere, Stefania Sabella, and Pier Paolo Pompa "Gold nanoparticles based colorimetric nanodiagnostics for cancer and infectious diseases", Proc. SPIE 8955, Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications IX, 89551E (24 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2039761

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