Cylindrical polymer brushes as luminescent probes for bioimaging

圆柱形聚合物刷作为生物成像发光探针

• 批准号: 571356-2021
• 负责人: Hudson, Zachary
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=729152
• 关键词: Cylindrical; polymer; brushes; luminescent; probes

7 million Canadians live in rural or remote communities, and consistently show poorer overall health outcomes than urban populations. A lack of healthcare professionals as well as longer distances to healthcare facilities are both major drivers of this discrepancy, as the 18% of rural Canadians are served by only 8% of the practicing physicians in Canada. Where healthcare resources are limited, diagnostic tools are needed that are both inexpensive and readily available. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and with built-in light sources, cameras, and network connectivity are ideal for portable bioanalysis and imaging. These assays require luminescent probes with sufficient brightness to be visible with a smartphone camera. This can be achieved using nanoparticles that incorporate hundreds to thousands of luminescent dye molecules into a single nanoscale object, creating single points of brightness that a smartphone can detect. Polymer dots (or Pdots) are one such class of nanoparticle, consisting of >50% of luminescent polymer by weight or volume, surrounded with a hydrophilic exterior to render them soluble in water. Our research group at UBC develops multifunctional Pdot probes for bioanalysis and imaging.To translate these technologies to application, we must now understand how nanoparticle shape and rigidity impact the circulation time and cellular interactions of Pdots in vivo. Prof. Markus Müllner at the University of Sydney has recently shown that cylindrical polymer brushes (CPBs) - long chains of polymers bonded to a central backbone - can exhibit long circulation times, improved cell penetration, and tunable localization within cells. In collaboration with Prof. Müllner, this project will develop luminescent Pdots with a CPB morphology, and will study their penetration kinetics and imaging capabilities within multicellular tumour spheroids. This project will help us understand how nanoparticle shape affects Pdot performance in imaging for the first time, in both cells and tumour mimics.

700万加拿大人生活在农村或偏远社区，总体健康状况一直不如城市人口。医疗保健专业人员的缺乏以及到医疗机构的距离较远都是造成这种差异的主要原因，因为加拿大18%的农村人口只有8%的执业医生为其服务。在医疗资源有限的地方，需要既便宜又容易获得的诊断工具。智能手机现在无处不在，内置光源，摄像头和网络连接是便携式生物分析和成像的理想选择。这些分析需要有足够亮度的发光探针，用智能手机相机就能看到。这可以通过纳米颗粒来实现，纳米颗粒将数百到数千个发光染料分子合并到一个纳米级物体中，创造出智能手机可以检测到的单点亮度。聚合物点（或Pdots）就是这样一类纳米粒子，由重量或体积占发光聚合物的50%的发光聚合物组成，并被亲水的外部包围，使其可溶于水。我们在UBC的研究小组开发了用于生物分析和成像的多功能Pdot探针。为了将这些技术转化为应用，我们现在必须了解纳米颗粒的形状和硬度如何影响Pdots在体内的循环时间和细胞相互作用。悉尼大学的Markus m<e:1> llner教授最近展示了圆柱形聚合物刷（CPBs）——与中央主干结合的长链聚合物——可以表现出较长的循环时间，提高细胞穿透性，并在细胞内可调节定位。与m<s:1> llner教授合作，该项目将开发具有CPB形态的发光Pdots，并将研究其在多细胞肿瘤球体中的渗透动力学和成像能力。这个项目将帮助我们第一次了解纳米颗粒形状如何影响Pdot在细胞和肿瘤模拟成像中的表现。