Beyond Spectral Detection: Engineering SUPER Dot Probes for High-Throughput Discovery

由于病理条件而改变的分子通常以非常低的丰度存在，并构成“大海捞针”的问题。目前的检测、定量和定位技术使用荧光探针，受灵敏度和分析时间的限制。该项目将基于专门设计的上转换纳米晶体，开发新一代纳米光子发光探针（强上转换光稳定编码纳米辐射（超级）点），具有超亮、低背景干扰、高特异性、高速度和大规模复用能力。这些探针将允许显微镜和流式细胞术测量迄今为止无法检测到的罕见事件分子和细胞，为发现新的生物标志物开辟了新的领域。

Molecules that are altered as a result of a pathological condition are generally present in very low abundance, and pose a “needle-in-a-haystack” problem. Current detection, quantification and localisation technologies use fluorescent probes that are limited by sensitivity and analysis time. This project will develop a new generation of nanophotonic luminescent probes (Strong Upconversion Photo-stable Encoded nano-Radiators (SUPER) Dots), based on purpose-engineered up-conversion nanocrystals that are ultra-bright and have low background interference, high specificity, speed, and large-scale multiplexing capacity. These probes will allow microscopy and flow cytometry to measure hitherto undetectable rare-event molecules and cells, opening new frontiers for the discovery of new biomarkers.