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New nanotech protocols detail parameters that help trace biomarkers
Quantum dots can emit a broad range of colors simultaneously, an advantage over the traditional stains and dyes.
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Recent clinical protocols that explain and define the preparation and development of quantum dot nanotechnology may help trace biomarkers in tissues and cells.
“New diagnostic and prognostic tools will increase our ability to predict the likely outcomes of drug therapy. Essential to this endeavor is the use of bioinformatics and systems biology to link each individual’s molecule profile with disease diagnosis and treatment decisions,” May Dongmei Wang, PhD, director of the bioinformatics and biocomputing core at the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center, said in a press release.
Wang and colleagues examined prostate cancer samples to confirm that bioconjugated dots are valuable in concurrently identifying multiple molecular biomarkers in cancer tissue. The technology researchers used was based on immunohistochemistry.
Researchers produced comprehensive protocol measures for the use of quantum dot nanotechnology that detailed the use of biomarker quantification, image processing, multicolor quantum staining, antibody conjugation and preparation of tissue samples. Software tools developed by researchers allowed for automated feature extraction and biomarker quantification as well as bioinformatics. They published the protocols and results of the examination in Nature Protocols.
“We have now resolved a major bottleneck in the use of multicolor quantum dot probes for cancer immunohistostaining,” Shuming Nie, PhD, professor at the Wallace H. Coulter department of biomedical engineering, at Georgia Tech and Emory University, said in a press release.
“Quantum dot probes used in tissue diagnosis are considered to be one of the most important and clinically relevant applications for cancer technology in the near term. We believe that this technology will be ultimately useful in correlating a panel of biomarkers with disease progression and therapeutic response,” Nie said.
Personalized medicine
Wang said that the idea of personalized medicine is ready to redefine health care during the course of the next few decades.
Nie said that researchers would obtain more insight into behaviors of aggressive cancers and be able to quickly predict cancer using the new biomarkers.
“By defining the interrelationships between biomarkers, it could be possible to diagnose and determine cancer prognosis based on a patient’s molecular profile, leading to personalized and predictive medicine,” Nie said.
Bioconjugated quantum dots are groupings of a multiple sized nanoparticles fixed in small beads constructed of polymer materials. By employing a process called multiplexing, quantum dots can be fine-tuned to a variety of luminescent colors that can mark numerous different genetic sequences or protein biomarkers in tissues or cells.
Since quantum dots use a cadmium core, researchers are worried about potential toxicity if they enter a patient’s bloodstream. The researchers found that using quantum dots in a controlled setting to find biomarkers in tissue and cells outside could remove that concern. Quantum dots can emit a broad range of colors simultaneously, and are more fluorescent and resistant to photo bleaching, which are advantages over the traditional stains and dyes common with imaging.
For more information:
- Wang MD, Nie S, Xing Y, et al. Bioconjugated quantum dots multiplexed and quantitative immunohistochemistry. Nat Protoc. 2007;2:1152-1165.