Nanomaterial Radioisotope Detectors for Intracellular Measurements

分析生理和药理学化合物的细胞摄取的能力， 灵敏度和时间分辨率在理解潜在的分子途径中起着关键作用 与人类疾病和失调有关。其中最具挑战性的分析物是那些存在于非常低的 具有高时间变化性的浓度，以及缺乏适合于光学和/或光学性质的部分的小分子。 电化学检测放射性同位素（RI）有助于这些分析物的高灵敏度检测， 与荧光标记和其他分子标签相比，分析物质量和结构的扰动。β粒子 包括32 P、33 P、35 S和3 H的放射体通常用作生物示踪剂，这是由于这些放射体的普遍性。 生物分子中的原子 尽管出现了新的分子分析方法，RI仍然是广泛的 定量生物学、化学和环境研究。RI标签在这方面发挥了关键作用， 对生物系统的研究已经有将近世纪了。虽然新的分析方法，包括质量 光谱法，现在允许无标记混合物的灵敏检测，放射性测定的高质量灵敏度是 放射性分析是无与伦比的，使得放射性分析对于一系列生物化学和生物医学研究是不可或缺的。此外，委员会认为， 提高检测能力，使RI检测更广泛地应用于新的生物医学研究 这些问题在高灵敏度的生物分子分析中应该是变革性的。 在SBIR申请中，我们建议继续开发专有的、受IP保护的、创新的核壳结构 纳米材料能够实时，在某些情况下，分子选择性，直接检测低能量RI 在含水样品中。这些纳米材料被证明可用于低能量RI的细胞内测量- 标记的分析物。这种测量将为新的研究调查提供种子，并将闪烁定位于 Nanotechnologies INC是唯一提供此类测量产品的商业实体。

The capability to analyze cellular uptake of physiological and pharmacological compounds with increasing sensitivity and temporal resolution plays a critical role in understanding the underlying molecular pathways involved in human diseases and disorders. Among the most challenging analytes are those present at very low concentrations with high temporal variability, and small molecules lacking moieties amenable for optical and/or electrochemical detection. Radioisotopes (RI) facilitate highly sensitive detection of these analytes, with minimal perturbation of analyte mass and structure, compared to fluorescent labels and other molecular tags. β-particle emitters, including 32P, 33P, 35S, and 3H are commonly used as biological tracers due to the prevalence of these atoms in biological molecules. Despite the advent of new molecular analysis approaches, RI remain the gold standard in a wide range of quantitative biological, chemical and environmental studies. RI labels have played a critical role in the investigation of biological systems, for almost a century. Though new analytical approaches, including mass spectrometry, now allow sensitive detection of label-free mixtures, the high mass sensitivity of radioassays is unparalleled, making radioassays indispensable for a range of biochemical and biomedical studies. Furthermore, improved detection capabilities that enable a broader application of RI detection to new biomedical research questions should prove transformational in high sensitivity biomolecular analyses. In this SBIR application, we propose to continue development of proprietary, IP-protected, innovative core-shell nanomaterials capable of real-time, and in some cases, molecularly selective, detection of low energy RIs directly in aqueous samples. These nanomaterials be demonstrated for intracellular measurement of low energy RI- labeled analytes. Such measurements would seed new research investigations and would position Scintillation Nanotechnologies INC as the only commercial entity providing products that perform such measurements.