Simultaneous detection of platelet-specific antibodies based on a photonic crystal-encoded suspension array.

Background: The appearance of antibodies to platelets in the blood is an important cause of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and platelet glycoprotein (GP)-specific antibody detection may be helpful to diagnose this condition.

Methods: Photonic crystal microspheres with different distinct reflection spectra were coated with anti-GPIIb, -GPIIIa, -GPIb and -GPIX monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to create a photonic crystal-encoded suspension array (PCSA). Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled goat anti-human IgG was added to detect human IgG simultaneously.

Signal Improvement Strategies for Fluorescence Detection of Biomacromolecules.

For analysis of biomacromolecules, a sensitive, specified and reliable method is indispensable. Fluorescent dyes or fluorophores have been widely used as mediums to obtain readout signals in various assays or bioimaging because of their versatilities such as biocompatibility. Those fluorescent dyes based techniques manipulate many molecular interactions for analysis of biomacromolecules including antibody-protein interaction, base complementation, glycan-lectin interaction, etc.

The functional role of microRNA in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: relevance for diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a new class of noncoding RNAs, which can hybridize to target messenger RNAs and regulate their expression posttranscriptionally, express differentially in distinct stages of lymphopoiesis and influence the direction of lymphoid precursor maturation. Hence, there is aberrant expression of miRNAs involved in malignant lymphopoiesis, and these aberrations can be used as signatures of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with different subtypes. In addition, changes in the expression of several miRNAs may have functional relevance with leukemogenesis or drug resistance.

Carbon Inverse Opal Rods for Nonenzymatic Cholesterol Detection.

Carbon inverse opal rods made from silica photonic crystal rods are used for nonenzymatic cholesterol sensing. The characteristic reflection peak originating from the physical periodic structure works as sensing signals for quantitatively estimating cholesterol concentrations. Carbon inverse opal rods work both in cholesterol standard solutions and human serum.

Handy, rapid and multiplex detection of tumor markers based on encoded silica-hydrogel hybrid beads array chip.

Malignant tumor has become the leading cause of death worldwide; however, multiplex detection technology could provide great assistance in large-scale population screening of diseases which could effectively reduce the mortality of malignant tumors. Here a microbeads array chip, which could be a perfect alternative method for the early screening, was developed. Silica-hydrogel hybrid bead (SHHB) with photonic encoding, which consists of both silica and hydrogel materials, was manufactured as the carrier of microbeads array for the first time.

Multiplex analysis of tumor multidrug-resistance genes expression with photonic suspension array.

An easy-operated suspension array based on silica colloidal crystal beads is developed for multiplex analysis of tumor multidrug-resistance genes expression, such as multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), and potentially single nucleotide polymorphism. In order to obtain high fluorescence intensity, controlled PCR was used to amplify targets at the samples pretreatment stage. By optimizing the conditions a hybridization procedure, which is similar to nucleic acids analysis with binary probes, was established.