Rapid Multi-Channel Serum Profiling for Liver Disease using Fluorescent Nanosensors

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Project Summary/Abstract Rapid Multi-Channel Serum Profiling for Liver Disease using Fluorescent Nanosensors Rapid diagnosis of liver disease is crucial to optimizing patient outcome and minimizing economic impact. Current strategies for detecting liver damage (fibrosis/cirrhosis) use biomarker strategies that are expensive and difficult to translate into Point of Care (PoC) platforms suitable for monitoring of chemotherapy patients and diagnostics for the developing world. In preliminary studies we have demonstrated that simple polymer- based sensor arrays can generate serum ‘signatures’ that can be used to detect liver fibrosis with clinical relevance. In our proposed research we will: Aim 1: Fabricate hairpin polymer-fluorophore conjugates and use these as sensor elements to provide multi- channel outputs serum sensing. Aim 2: Immobilize our polymers onto surfaces to provide prototype sensing systems suitable for clinical and point-of-care use. These sensors will be tested and optimized using model sera. Aim 3: Apply our sensor systems to profile liver fibrosis using pathological samples provided by Rosenberg and Peveler. These studies will focus on detection and staging of liver fibrosis, using statistical methods developed by C. Rotello. Aim 4: Use proteomics with Vachet to characterize protein binding to the polymer sensors, providing mechanistic insight and potentially new biomarkers for fibrosis. The goal of this proposal is to develop prototype sensor systems for diagnosis of LIVER disease; effective achievement of this goal would provide strategies that could be translated to numerous additional disease states.