Kits for Converting Nanocrystals to Standard Bio-Medical Reagents

描述（由申请人提供）：SBIR第二阶段计划旨在开发第二代基于半导体纳米晶体（q点）的生物医学标签，以消除有毒镉元素的使用，具有物理渗透性，并且不具有任何光致发光的自猝灭。这将通过一项新发明实现，即基于掺杂的非镉半导体纳米晶体（d点）的明亮发光体，以及在第一阶段开发的树枝状发光技术。NN-Labs拥有这两项关键技术的独家专利权。为了完成这个第二阶段的计划，组建了一个技术和商业平衡的团队，包括最初的发明者、NN实验室的科学家和阿肯色州大学的彭晓刚教授的团队（分包商）作为研发团队，斯坦福大学医学院的Shawn Chen教授作为医学合作伙伴，Sigma-Aldrich作为市场合作伙伴，和ImmunoVision（IVAX诊断公司在阿肯色州的子公司）作为战略合作伙伴。与传统的荧光标记相比，D-点标记具有几乎所有的Q-点标记的优点。Q点标签目前在世界范围内被开发用于诊断和其他类型的生物医学检测。然而，主力，硒化镉和相关的q点，是有问题的。例如，欧盟将在今年夏天开始禁止任何含有故意添加的新产品。这一重大挑战将通过d-dots技术得到很好的解决，该技术依赖于锌基半导体纳米晶体中掺杂中心的可调发射。这种独特的荧光机制使得d-点具有零自猝灭和热稳定性，这是有机染料和q-点标记的固有问题。独特的发射机制和dendron-dot技术将d-点标记的总尺寸减小到典型蛋白质的总尺寸（几纳米），其显著小于目前的q-点标记的标准产品，其尺寸为几十纳米。虽然目前全球公司都在追求q点技术，但NN实验室在d点树枝状纳米晶体上的独特专利地位可能会使美国在这个有前途的行业领域领先于其他竞争对手。阿肯色州需要这样的机会来实现其长期的使命，将这个传统的农村州发展成为一个以知识为基础、环境友好的工业港。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This SBIR Phase II program intends to develop the second generation of semiconductor nanocrystals (q-dots) based bio-medical labels to eliminate the usage of toxic cadmium element, to be physically permeable, and to not possess any self-quenching of the photoluminescence. This will be realized by a new invention, bright nanocrystal emitters based on doped non- cadmium semiconductor nanocrystals (d-dots), and the dendron-nanocrystal technology developed in the Phase I. NN-Labs has the exclusive patent rights for both key technologies. To accomplish this Phase II program, a balanced team in technology and business is assembled, with the original inventors, the scientists at NN-Labs and Professor Xiaogang Peng's group at the University of Arkansas (subcontractor), as the R&D team, Professor Shawn Chen at Stanford School of Medicine as the Medical Partner, Sigma-Aldrich as the Marketing Partner, and ImmunoVision (a subsidiary at Arkansas of IVAX diagnostics) as the Strategic Partner. D-dot labels possess nearly all advantages of q-dot labels in comparison to traditional fluorescent labels. Q-dot labels are currently developed for diagnostics and other types of bio- medical detection worldwide. However, the workhorse, cadmium selenide and related q-dots, is problematic. For example, European Union will start to ban any new products containing intentionally added in this summer. This major challenge will be nicely solved by d-dots technology, which relies on tunable emissions of doping centers in zinc based semiconductor nanocrystals. This unique fluorescence mechanism makes d-dots have zero self-quenching and thermally stable, which is an intrinsic problem for both organic dyes and q-dot labels. The unique emission mechanism and the dendron-nanocrystal technology reduce the total size of d- dot labels to that of a typical protein (a few nanometers), which is substantially smaller than the current standard products of q-dots labels, several tens of nanometers in size. Although q-dot technologies are currently pursued by companies worldwide, the unique patent position of NN-Labs on d-dot dendron-nanocrystals will likely place United States in front of other competitors in this promising industry field. Such opportunities are needed for the State of Arkansas to meet its long term mission, to develop this traditionally rural state to a knowledge- based and environmentally benign industry harbor.