Search

The year of 2020 was profoundly marked by a global pandemic caused by a strain of coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To control disease spread, a key strategy adopted by many countries was the regular testing of individuals for infection. This led to the rapid development of diagnostic testing technologies. In Norway, within a week, our group developed a test kit to quickly isolate viral RNA and safely detect SARS-CoV-2 infection with sensitivity comparable to available kits. Herein, the procedure employed for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in swab samples from patients using the NTNU-COVID-19 test kit is described in detail. This procedure, based on NAxtra magnetic nanoparticles and an optimized nucleic acid extraction procedure, is robust, reliable, and straightforward, providing high-quality nucleic acids within 14 min. The NAxtra protocol is adaptable and was further validated for extraction of DNA and RNA from other types of viruses. A comparison of the protocol on different liquid handling systems is also presented. Due to the simplicity and low cost of this method, implementation of this technology to diagnose virus infections on a clinical setting would benefit health care systems, promoting sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid nanoparticles (NP) of bismutite nanodisks (BSC ND) with gold nanoparticles (Au NP) of different aspect ratios (AR), such as spheres, rods and etched rods were synthesized via a facile sonochemical method. To better control the shapes of Au NP deposited on the substrate, these were pre-synthesized prior to the deposition using a modified seed mediated growth method by altering the pH and supersaturation of the growth solution. The shift in the peak position and shape of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption band associated with fine-tuning of the shape of Au NP, led to enhanced light harvesting capabilities of the hybrid. Introducing shape anisotropy in the NP brought about narrowing of bandgap and lowering of PL intensity in the hybrids, suggesting better electronic contact of the NP with BSC, and effective suppression of recombination effects. Hybrids of BSC with Au nanorods showed 14% improved degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye compared to the hybrids with nanospheres. With this study, we provide a novel promising strategy to maximize the light harvesting capacity of semiconductors by tailoring the AR of Au NP, for improved solar to chemical energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To monitor and manage hydrological systems such as brooks, streams, rivers, the use of tracers is a well-established process. Limited number of potential tracers such as salts, isotopes and dyes, make study of hydrological processes a challenge. Traditional tracers find limited use due to lack of multiplexed, multipoint tracing and background noise, among others. In this regard, DNA based tracers possess remarkable advantages including, environmentally friendly, stability, and high sensitivity in addition to showing great potential in the synthesis of ideally unlimited number of unique tracers capable of multipoint tracing. To prevent unintentional losses in the environment during application and easy recovery for analysis, we hereby report DNA encapsulation in silica containing magnetic cores (iron oxide) of two different shapes—spheres and cubes. The iron oxide nanoparticles having size range 10–20 nm, have been synthesized using co-precipitation of iron salts or thermal decomposition of iron oleate precursor in the presence of oleic acid or sodium oleate. Physico-chemical properties such as size, zeta potential, magnetism etc. of the iron oxide nanoparticles have been optimized using different ligands for effective binding of dsDNA, followed by silanization. We report for the first time the effect of surface coating on the magnetic properties of the iron oxide nanoparticles at each stage of functionalization, culminating in silica shells. Efficiency of encapsulation of three different dsDNA molecules has been studied using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Our results show that our DNA based magnetic tracers are excellent candidates for hydrological monitoring with easy recoverability and high signal amplification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the effect of different stimuli-responsive polymer shells on Fe@Au core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) with respect to thermoresponse as well as loading and release characteristics. The hybrid NP systems were investigated using a wide array of characterization techniques including dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, UV-visible spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Three different polymeric shells were selected for loading and release of l-dopa: thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly( N-isopropylacrylamide- co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAAM_AAc) microgel crosslinked with N, N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BIS), and finally concomitant PEG and PNIPAAM_AAc microgel (Fe@Au_PEG_Microgel). All three shells were found to exhibit high loading (∼10%) and encapsulation efficiencies up to 100 μg l-dopa/mg. Although the loading efficiencies are comparable for the three systems, Fe@Au_PEG_Microgel has the highest release (87%) at elevated temperature and acidic conditions. The attenuated release from the PEG-based systems can be attributed to stronger dipole-dipole interactions between the carboxyl group of PEG and the amino group of l-dopa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a synthetic method has been optimized for the synthesis of thermoresponsive and pH-responsive poly( N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) nanogels which are subsequently loaded with cytochrome C by using a modified breathing-in mechanism. Physico-chemical properties mapped by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirm the swelling/deswelling kinetics as reversible with a volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of ~39 °C. Fe@Au nanoparticles were incorporated inside the nanogel networks by using two different methods: coating and in situ growth. The latter bears closer resemblance to the nanogels only, while the former follows the trend of bare Fe@Au nanoparticles. High loading (~96 %) and encapsulation (500 μg/mg of nanogels) of cytochrome C were obtained. Release experiments performed by using a dialysis set-up and monitored by using UV-vis spectroscopy show the highest release at 40 °C and pH 3.2 (high temperature, low pH), with maximum release from the Fe@Au-coated nanogels that also show a reverse swelling-collapse trend. The location of the drug, the incorporation and presence of Fe@Au nanoparticles and the drug incorporation method are found to control both the drug release mechanism and kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With development in the synthesis of shape- and size-dependent gold (Au) nanostructures (NSs) and their applications in nanomedicine, one of the biggest challenges is to understand the interaction of these shapes with cancer cells. Herein, we study the interaction of Au NSs of five different shapes with glioblastoma-astrocytoma cells. Three different shapes (nanorods, tetrahexahedra, and bipyramids), possessing tunable optical properties, have been synthesized by a single-step seed-mediated growth approach employing binary surfactant mixtures of CTAB and a secondary surfactant. By the use of two-step seed-mediated approach, we obtained new NSs, named nanomakura (Makura is a Japanese word used for pillow) which is reported for the first time here. Spherical Au nanoparticles were prepared by the Turkevich method. To study NS-cell interactions, we functionalized the NSs using thiolated PEG followed by 11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid. The influence of shape and concentration of NSs on the cytotoxicity were assessed with a LIVE/DEAD assay in glioblastoma-astrocytoma cells. Furthermore, the time-dependent uptake of nanomakura was studied with TEM. Our results indicate that unlike the other shapes studied here, the nanomakura were taken up both via receptor-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Thus, from our library of different NSs with similar surface functionality, the shape is found to be an important parameter for cellular uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]