Search

Giora Z Feuerstein,1 Michael A Mansfield,2 Peter I Lelkes,3 Salvatore Alesci,1 Cezary Marcinkiewicz,1,3 Nathan Butlin,4 Mark Sternberg1 1Debina Diagnostics Inc., Newtown Square, PA, USA; 2MilliporeSigma, Bedford, MA, USA; 3Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 4Axxin Pty Ltd, Fairfield, VIC, AustraliaCorrespondence: Giora Z FeuersteinDebina Diagnostics Inc., Newtown Square, PA, USATel +1 4842221575Email cmarcik@temple.eduBackground: There is a dire need for rapid diagnostic tests of high sensitivity, efficiency, and point-of-test reporting capability to mitigate lethal viral epidemic outbreaks.Purpose: To develop a new operating system within the lateral flow assay (LFA) format for Ebola virus (EBOV), based on fluorescent nanodiamond particles (FNDP) nitrogen vacancy (NV) emitting near-infrared (NIR) light. Specifically, we aimed to detail technical issues and the feasibility of mobilizing FNDP-NV on nitrocellulose membranes (NCM) and capturing them at test and control lines.Methods: FNDP-NV-200nm, 400nm or 800nm were linked to anti-EBOV glycoprotein (GP) monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and tested for LFA performance by monitoring NIR emissions using an in vivo imaging system or optoelectronic device (OED). Anti-EBOV recombinant glycoprotein (GP) humanized mAb c13C6 was linked to FNDP-NV-200nm for the mobile phase; and a second anti-GP mouse mAb, 6D8, was printed on NCM at the test line. Goat anti-human IgG (GAH-IgG) served as a nonspecific antibody for conjugated FNDP-NV-200nm at the control line.Results: FNDP-NV-200nm-c13C6 specifically and dose-dependently bound to recombinant EBOV GP in vitro and was effectively captured in a sandwich configuration at the test line by mAb 6D8. FNDP-NV-200nm-c13C6 was captured on the control line by GAH-IgG. The OED quantitative analysis of NIR (obtained in less than 1 minute) was further validated by an in vivo imaging system.Conclusion: FNDP-NV-200nm performance as a reporter for EBOV GP rapid diagnostic tests suggests an opportunity to replace contemporary visual tests for EBOV GP and other highly lethal viral pathogens. Mobile, battery-operated OED adds portability, quantitative data, rapid data collection, and point-of-test reporting capability. Further development of FNDP-NV-200nm within a LFA format is justified.Keywords: Ebola virus, diagnostic lateral flow test, LFA, opto-electronic reader, OER, anti-EBOV antibodies, nitrocellulose membranes, fluidics technology

Junhui Shi,1 Zhengyan Zhao,2 Zongjun Liu,3 Ruozheng Wu,1 You Wang11School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground: The design of novel nanoparticles with higher therapeutic efficacy and lower side effects, is still difficult but encouraging in cancer therapy. Specifically, for upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP)-based drug release, a high intensity of NIR light (1.4∼5.0 W/cm2,) above the maximum permissible exposure (0.33 W/cm2, for 980 nm) is commonly used and severely limits its practical application.Methods: The highly emissive UCNP is first synthesized and then coated with mesoporous silica (MS) shell (UCMS). Next, the surface of UCMS is modified with the thioether (-S-BP) linker, leading to UCMS-S-BP nanoparticles. Finally, after the drug doxorubicin (Dox) is loaded into the pore channels of UCMS, the pore openings are blocked by the β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) gatekeeper through the association with the -S-BP linker (UCMS(Dox)-S-BP@β-CD).Results: Upon 980 nm NIR light irradiation with an ultralow intensity of 0.30 W/cm,2 it is found that the loaded Dox can be released through the cleavage of thioether linkers triggering dissociation of β-CD gatekeepers. The in vitro results exhibited significantly therapeutic efficacy with 85.2% of HeLa cells killed in this study.Conclusions: An ultralow-intensity NIR light triggered on-demand drug release system has been developed by employing highly emissive UCNP and photocleavable linker with low bond dissociation energy to avoid the potential photodamage on healthy neighbor cells.Keywords: drug release, ultralow intensity, density functional theory, near infrared light, upconversion nanoparticles

Bo Wu,1,* Bing Wan,2,* Shu-Ting Lu,1 Kai Deng,3 Xiao-Qi Li,1 Bao-Lin Wu,1 Yu-Shuang Li,1 Ru-Fang Liao,1 Shi-Wen Huang,3 Hai-Bo Xu1,2 1Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, 2Department of Radiology, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 3Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The major challenge in current clinic contrast agents (CAs) and chemotherapy is the poor tumor selectivity and response. Based on the self-quench property of IR820 at high concentrations, and different contrast effect ability of Gd-DOTA between inner and outer of liposome, we developed “bomb-like” light-triggered CAs (LTCAs) for enhanced CT/MRI/FI multimodal imaging, which can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of tumor tissue specifically. IR820, Iohexol and Gd-chelates were firstly encapsulated into the thermal-sensitive nanocarrier with a high concentration. This will result in protection and fluorescence quenching. Then, the release of CAs was triggered by near-infrared (NIR) light laser irradiation, which will lead to fluorescence and MRI activation and enable imaging of inflammation. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that LTCAs with 808 nm laser irradiation have shorter T1 relaxation time in MRI and stronger intensity in FI compared to those without irradiation. Additionally, due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of IR820, the injection of LTCAs was demonstrated to completely inhibit C6 tumor growth in nude mice up to 17 days after NIR laser irradiation. The results indicate that the LTCAs can serve as a promising platform for NIR-activated multimodal imaging and photothermal therapy. Keywords: light triggered, near-infrared light, tumor-specific, multimodal imaging, photothermal therapy, contrast agents

Curcumin has phototoxic effects on bacteria under <450 nm irradiation, but it is unstable in vivo and cannot exert effects on deep tissues. Near infrared light (NIR) is harmless to the body and has stronger penetration than visible light. In order to improve the effects of curcumin, upconversion nanoparticles conjugated with curcumin (UCNPs-curcumin) are designed to upconvert NIR to the excitation wavelength of curcumin. UCNPs-curcumin were synthesized using polyethyleneimine to combine curcumin and UCNPs, based on typical composition of lanthanide nitrates Re(NO)3 (Y:Yb:Er=78%:20%:2%) linked by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in sodium fluoride (NaF) matrix, to upconvert NIR to 432 nm light. The product was characterized by size distribution, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. Growth inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was not only measured in vitro but also investigated on MRSA-induced pneumonia in mice. The results showed that curcumin was covered by UCNPs to form stable nanoparticles whose average size was 179.5 nm and zeta potential was -33.7 mV in normal saline. The UCNPs-curcumin produced singlet oxygen, which reaches a stable level after 30 minutes of irradiation, and took effect on MRSA through bacterial cytoplasm leakage. They alleviated MRSA-induced pneumonia and reduced bacterial counts in lungs with 980 nm irradiation (0.5 W/cm(2)) on chests of mice. It is confirmed that the UCNPs-curcumin in lungs are activated under NIR irradiation and strengthen their antibacterial effects on MRSA. This research provides a new type of NIR photosensitizer, which plays an important role in phototoxic effects of curcumin in deep tissues under NIR.