Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Protease-activated quantum dot probes.

Emmanuel Chang1, Jordan S Miller, Jiantang Sun

  • 1Rice University, Department of Bioengineering MS-142, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|July 26, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Separating pathogens from drinking water and food using magnetic nanomaterials: opportunities and challenges.

Journal of nanobiotechnology·2026
Same author

Graphene-Coated Metal Oxide Nanocrystals (M <sub><b><i>x</i></b></sub> O <sub><b><i>y</i></b></sub> @C) Form during the Liquid-Phase Thermal Decomposition of Metal Oleates.

ACS nanoscience Au·2026
Same author

Size effects in magnetic separation for rapid and efficient bacteria removal.

Nanoscale·2025
Same author

Hydrogel biomaterials to support and guide vascularization.

Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)·2025
Same author

Severe Exudative Vitreoretinopathy Secondary to Homozygous PCDH12 Mutations.

Retinal cases & brief reports·2025
Same author

Quantifying the Antioxidant Capacity of Inorganic Nanoparticles: Challenges and Analytical Solutions.

Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

We created a new luminescent probe using quantum dots and gold nanoparticles. This probe enhances signal for detecting cancer by lighting up when enzymes break down a peptide linker.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Nanotechnology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Proteolytic enzymes play crucial roles in biological processes, including cancer progression.
  • Current imaging techniques for cancer detection can be limited by sensitivity and specificity.
  • Developing novel probes for enzyme-triggered signal amplification is essential for improved diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel nanoparticulate luminescent probe for enhanced signal amplification.
  • To utilize the probe for potential applications in cancer detection and diagnosis.
  • To demonstrate enzyme-specific activation of the probe's luminescence.

Main Methods:

  • Conjugation of quantum dots (QDs) to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via a proteolytically degradable peptide linker.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Characterization of luminescence suppression and restoration upon peptide cleavage.
  • Enzyme activity assays using collagenase to validate probe activation.

    • Main Results:

    • A 71% reduction in QD luminescence was achieved upon AuNP conjugation.
    • Peptide cleavage by collagenase restored QD photoluminescence, showing a 52% increase over 47 hours.
    • The probe demonstrated tunable activation based on peptide sequence customization.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed nanoparticulate luminescent probe exhibits inherent signal amplification upon enzymatic cleavage.
    • This probe holds promise for sensitive and specific imaging in cancer detection and diagnosis.
    • The modular design allows for customization to target various proteolytic enzymes.