Development of DNA-templated IR quantum dots

描述(申请人提供)：功能化的半导体量子点以前已经被证明可以与细胞上的标记结合。通过其光谱狭窄的光学发射，它们照亮了肿瘤和其他疾病的先兆。它们能够在最早阶段对一系列疾病进行高度特异性的检测。 我们建议开发一种新的、经过改进的半导体量子点。我们已经证明，通过使用DNA模板播种纳米颗粒的生长，我们能够产生在红外波长(所谓的生物窗口)中高效、稳定的发射体的量子点，在这种情况下，活的有机体比可见光波长透明得多，在这种情况下，活生物的自发荧光比可见光低几个数量级。这些材料即使在37摄氏度的等离子体等生物介质中也会随着时间的推移保持其发光性能。核酸化学家Shana Kelley博士和光电子学工程师Edward Sargent博士的合作团队带来了优化DNA生长的纳米颗粒在医疗诊断中应用所需的专业知识。 使用DNA指导发光纳米颗粒生长的策略提供了一种一锅法，使发光标签与基于DNA的适体强耦合，以实现可编程的特定结合。该项目分为以下具体目标：1)使用设计的DNA序列指导DNA模板量子点的生长，从而最大限度地提高性能；2)使用体外选择发现用于特定结合分析的优化DNA序列。因此，我们将开发新的方法来创造用于医学和生物的高发光纳米材料。该团队在生物分子化学和光学材料方面拥有互补的专业知识，拥有基础设施和资源，为实现改进的可见光和红外荧光诊断做出了重大贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Functionalized semiconductor quantum dots have previously been demonstrated to bind to markers on cells. Through their spectrally-narrow optical emissions, they illuminate tumors and other harbingers of disease. They are enabling the highly specific detection of a range of diseases at the earliest stages. We propose to pursue a new and improved class of semiconductor quantum dots. We have shown already that, by seeding the growth of nanoparticles using a DNA template, we are able to produce quantum dots that are efficient, stable emitters in the infrared wavelengths (so-called biological window) in which living organisms are much more transparent than in the visible wavelengths, and in which living organisms' autofluorescence is orders of magnitude lower than in the visible. These materials retain their luminescence properties over time even in biological media such as plasma at 37o C. The collaborating team of Dr. Shana Kelley, a nucleic acids chemist, and Dr. Edward Sargent, an optoelectronics engineer, bring the expertise required to optimize the DNA-grown nanoparticles for applications in medical diagnosis. The strategy of directing the growth of luminescent nanoparticles using DNA provides a one-pot route towards the strong coupling of light-emitting tags with DNA-based aptamers for programmable specific-binding. The project is divided into the following Specific Aims: 1) Direct the growth, and thereby maximize the performance, of DNA-templated quantum dots using designer DNA sequences; 2) Discover optimized DNA sequences for specific binding assays using in vitro selection. We will thereby develop new means of creating highly luminescent nanomaterials for medicine and biology. The team, with its complementary expertise in biomolecular chemistry and optical materials, is equipped with the infrastructure and resources to make a significant contribution to the realization of improved visible and infrared fluorophores for diagnosis.