Washington University

Jeremiah Morrissey

Evan David Kharasch

Srikanth Singamaneni

Chang Hee Lee

Jingyi Luan

Limei Tian

Keng-Ku Liu

Abdennour Abbas

Fluorescence-based techniques are the cornerstone of modern biomedical optics with applications ranging from bioimaging at various scales (organelle to organism) to detection and quantification of a wide variety of biological species of interest. However, feeble fluorescence signal remains a persistent challenge in meeting the ever-increasing demand to image, detect and quantify biological species of low abundance. Disclosed herein are simple and universal methods based on a flexible and conformal elastomeric film adsorbed with plasmonic nanostructures, referred to as 'plasmonic skin' or “plasmonic patch”, that provide large and uniform enhancement of fluorescence on a variety of surfaces, through an “add-on-top” process. The novel fluorescence enhancement approach presented here represents a disease-, biomarker-, and application-agnostic ubiquitously-applicable fundamental and enabling technology to improve the sensitivity of existing analytical methodologies in an easy-to-handle and cost-effective manner, without changing and/or minimally altering the original procedures of the existing techniques.

Plasmonic patch as a universal fluorescence enhancer

Natural and/or synthetic antibodies for specific proteins are adhered to nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are adhered to a substrate and the substrate is exposed to a sample that may contain the specific proteins. The substrates are then tested with surface enhanced Raman scattering techniques and/or localized surface plasmon resonance techniques to quantify the amount of the specific protein in the sample.

Label-free detection of renal cancer

Fluorescence-based techniques are the cornerstone of modern biomedical optics with applications ranging from bioimaging at various scales (organelle to organism) to detection and quantification of a wide variety of biological species of interest. However, feeble fluorescence signal remains a persistent challenge in meeting the ever-increasing demand to image, detect and quantify biological species of low abundance. Disclosed herein are simple and universal methods based on a flexible and conformal elastomeric film adsorbed with plasmonic nanostructures, referred to as 'plasmonic skin' or 'plasmonic patch', that provide large and uniform enhancement of fluorescence on a variety of surfaces, through an &#x201c;add-on-top&#x201d; process. The novel fluorescence enhancement approach presented here represents a disease-, biomarker-, and application-agnostic ubiquitously-applicable fundamental and enabling technology to improve the sensitivity of existing analytical methodologies in an easy-to-handle and cost-effective manner, without changing and/or minimally altering the original procedures of the existing techniques.

Fibrous substrate and method for making

Plasmonic nanotransducers, methods of preparing plasmonic nanotransducers, and methods for label-free detection of target molecules are disclosed. The plasmonic nanotransducers include hollow nanostructure cores and artificial antibodies. The plasmonic nanotransducers are exposed to a biological sample that can contain the specific target molecules. The plasmonic nanotransducers can be analyzed with surface enhanced Raman scattering techniques and/or localized surface plasmon resonance techniques to quantify the amount of the target molecule in the sample.

Plasmonic biosensors with built-in artificial antibodies

Disclosed are methods for detecting, diagnosing or monitoring a renal cancer in a subject. The methods include detecting quantity of one or more polypeptides or fragments thereof comprised by body fluid such as urine, wherein the one or more polypeptides or fragments thereof, can be present at elevated levels in a subject with, a kidney cancer, as compared to a subject without a kidney cancer. Non-limiting examples of such polypeptides include aquaporin-1, adipose differentiation-related protein, and paired box protein-2. Antibody probes can be used to detect or quantify the polypeptides. In some embodiments, mass spectroscopy can be used to detect or quantify the polypeptides, or to identify a polypeptide in a body fluid sample from a subject with a kidney cancer.

Methods of renal cancer detection

Disclosed are methods for detecting, diagnosing or monitoring a renal cancer in a subject. The methods include detecting quantity of one or more polypeptides or fragments thereof comprised by body fluid such as urine, wherein the one or more polypeptides or fragments thereof, can be present at elevated levels in a subject with a kidney cancer, as compared to a subject without a kidney cancer. Non-limiting examples of such polypeptides include aquaporin-1, adipose differentiation-related protein and paired box protein-2. Antibody probes can be used to detect or quantify the polypeptides. In some embodiments, mass spectroscopy can be used to detect or quantify the polypeptides, or to identify a polypeptide in a body fluid sample from a subject with a kidney cancer.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Jeremiah Morrissey