NanoPPET: Highly Specific Optical Contrast Agent (07074)
- Detailed Technology Description
- None
- *Abstract
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Features and Benefits
- Breast cancer can be both detected and diagnosed non-invasively, earlier, and with a higher accuracy.
- This cancer contrast marker ensures specificity by two mechanisms - the target biomarker and a cancer dependent enzyme.
- Higher specificity for the cancer, with minimal noise that may otherwise come from the locators placed at sites other than the cancer.
- NanoPPET contrast could be applied to other cancers
*This technology is available for licensing, further development, or industrial partnering
Technology
Researchers at the University of Louisville have developed a highly tumor specific fluorophore-NGP optical cancer contrast marker with enhanced fluorescence only when the contrast marker attaches to a cancer site. The NanoPPET (Nanoparticle Plasmon Energy Transfer) contrast marker comprises a fluorophore (Cypate in this example), a nano-sized metal particle (NMP), and a short spacer and a long spacer linking the fluorophore to the NMP. The short spacer holds the fluorophore at a quenching distance from the NMP and the long spacer holds the fluorophore at a fluorescence enhancing distance from the NMP. The short spacer is configured to be cleaved by molecules characterizing the target cells. Before the short spacer is cleaved, the short spacer controls a distance between the fluorophores and the NMP to be a quenching distance. After the short spacer is cleaved, the long spacer controls the distance between the fluorophore and the NMP to be a fluorescence enhancing distance.
Markets Addressed
Highly specific and sensitive recognition of cancer biomarkers is important for accurate and early diagnosis of cancer. This technology should be advantageous because of its ability to offer a more sensitive and accurate NIR optical mammography. The technology is also anticipated to enhance visualization of small or deep-seated breast cancer tumors for younger women. The technology may also have personalized medicine applications, including therapeutic moieties to enable cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Technology Status
- IP Status: U.S. Patent No. 8,758,727
- Fields of Use Available: All
Recent Publications:
- Kang, KA, Wang, J, "Smart dual-mode fluorescent gold nanoparticle agents," WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2014, 6:398–409. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1267
- Kang, KA, Wang, J, "Conditionally activating optical contrast agent with enhanced sensitivity via gold nanoparticle plasmon energy transfer: feasibility study," Journal of Nanobiotechnology 2014 12:56
Inventors
- Dr. Kyung A. Kang
- Dr. Michael H. Nantz
- Country/Region
- USA
