Aptamer Conjugated Indium Phosphide Quantum Dots with a Zinc Sulphide Shell as Photoluminescent Labels for .

is a remarkable microorganism known for its diversity of habitat and its multi-drug resistance, resulting in hard-to-treat infections. Thus, a sensitive method for the identification and detection of is vital. However, current methods used for the detection of pathogens have not improved in the past decades and suffer from long process times and low detection limits.

Novel devices for isolation and detection of bacterial and mammalian extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles are spherical nanoparticles inherently released by almost all cell types. They acquire the cell's membrane and cytoplasmic characteristics offering abundant identical units that can be captured to recognize the cell of origin. The abundance of vital cell information and multifunctional roles in cellular processes has rendered them attention, particularly as promising biomarkers for disease diagnosis and use in potential drug delivery systems.

Isolation, characterisation and detection of breath-derived extracellular vesicles.

The physical characterisation, capture and detection of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and exosomes derived from breath condensate is reported. Breath-derived EVs were isolated from breath condensate and captured on a gold substrate using two complimentary methods. The characterised and isolated EVs were detected using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

Glucose Sensor Using Redox Active Oligonucleotide-Templated Silver Nanoclusters.

Redox active, photoluminescent silver nanoclusters templated with oligonucleotides were developed for glucose sensing. The silver nanoclusters had a photoluminescent emission at 610 nm that reversibly changed to 530 nm upon oxidation. The reversible emission change was measured with photoluminescent spectroscopy and used to detect HO, which is a by-product of the reaction of glucose with glucose oxidase.

An In Vitro Investigation of Cytotoxic Effects of InP/Zns Quantum Dots with Different Surface Chemistries.

Indium phosphide quantum dots (QDs) passivated with zinc sulphide in a core/shell architecture (InP/ZnS) with different surface chemistries were introduced to RAW 264.7 murine "macrophage-like" cells to understand their potential toxicities. The InP/ZnS quantum dots were conjugated with an oligonucleotide, a carboxylic acid, or an amino-polyethylene glycol ligand, and cell viability and cell proliferation were investigated via a metabolic assay.

Cadmium-Free Quantum Dots as Fluorescent Labels for Exosomes.

Quantum dots are attractive alternatives to organic fluorophores for the purposes of fluorescent labeling and the detection of biomarkers. They can also be made to specifically target a protein of interest by conjugating biomolecules, such as antibodies. However, the majority of the fluorescent labeling using quantum dots is done using toxic materials such as cadmium or lead due to the well-established synthetic processes for these quantum dots.

"Exosomics"-A Review of Biophysics, Biology and Biochemistry of Exosomes With a Focus on Human Breast Milk.

Exosomes are biomolecular nanostructures released from cells. They carry specific biomolecular information and are mainly researched for their exquisite properties as a biomarker source and delivery system. We introduce exosomes in the context of other extracellular vesicles, describe their biophysical isolation and characterisation and discuss their biochemical profiling.

Demonstration of the lack of cytotoxicity of unmodified and folic acid modified graphene oxide quantum dots, and their application to fluorescence lifetime imaging of HaCaT cells.

The authors describe the synthesis of water-soluble and fluorescent graphene oxide quantum dots via acid exfoliation of graphite nanoparticles. The resultant graphene oxide quantum dots (GoQDs) were then modified with folic acid. Folic acid receptors are overexpressed in cancer cells and hence can bind to functionalized graphene oxide quantum dots.

Graphene Quantum Dots for Theranostics and Bioimaging.

Since their advent in the early 1990s, nanomaterials hold promise to constitute improved technologies in the biomedical area. In particular, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were conjectured to produce new or improve current methods used for bioimaging, drug delivery, and biomarker sensors for early detection of diseases. This review article critically compares and discusses current state-of-the-art use of GQDs in biology and health sciences.

Interaction of silver nanoparticles with tethered bilayer lipid membranes.

Silver nanoparticles are well-known for their antibacterial properties. However, the detailed mechanism describing the interaction between the nanoparticles and a cell membrane is not fully understood, which can impede the use of the particles in biomedical applications. Here, a tethered bilayer lipid membrane has been used as a model system to mimic a natural membrane and to study the effect of exposure to small silver nanoparticles with diameters of about 2 nm.

Subtle changes in surface chemistry affect embryoid body cell differentiation: lessons learnt from surface-bound amine density gradients.

Advanced approaches to direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells are highly sought after. The surface-bound chemical gradient format is a powerful screening approach that can be deployed to study changes in stem cell behavior as a function of subtle changes in surface chemistry. Here, we investigate the spontaneous differentiation of cells derived from differentiating mouse embryoid body (mEB) cells into endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm following culture on surface-bound gradients of chemical functional groups in the absence of differentiation-biasing bioactive factors.

Versatile gradients of chemistry, bound ligands and nanoparticles on alumina nanopore arrays.

Nanoporous alumina (PA) arrays produced by self-ordering growth, using electrochemical anodization, have been extensively explored for potential applications based upon the unique thermal, mechanical and structural properties, and high surface-to-volume ratio of these materials. However, the potential applications and functionality of these materials may be further extended by molecular-level engineering of the surface of the pore rims. In this paper we present a method for the generation of chemical gradients on the surface of PA arrays based upon plasma co-polymerization of two monomers.

Antibacterial surfaces by adsorptive binding of polyvinyl-sulphonate-stabilized silver nanoparticles.

This paper presents a novel and facile method for the generation of efficient antibacterial coatings which can be applied to practically any type of substrate. Silver nanoparticles were stabilized with an adsorbed surface layer of polyvinyl sulphonate (PVS). This steric layer provided excellent colloidal stability, preventing aggregation over periods of months.