Aptamer-based cell imaging reagents capable of fluorescence switching

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Imaging
• Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a transmembrane glycoprotein overexpressed on various epithelial cancers.
• Early cancer detection and targeted therapy require sensitive and specific imaging probes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an aptamer-conjugated polydiacetylene imaging probe (ACP) for specific detection of EpCAM-expressing cancer cells.
• To evaluate the fluorescence switching capabilities of the ACP upon binding to target cells.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of aptamers specific for EpCAM to a polydiacetylene (PDA) backbone to create the ACP.
• Incubation of the ACP with cell lines expressing varying levels of EpCAM.
• Monitoring of fluorescence changes in the ACP in response to target cell binding.

Main Results:

• The ACP exhibited highly specific fluorescence switching.
• The fluorescence signal was directly correlated with the level of EpCAM expression on cancer cells.
• The probe demonstrated minimal background signal with non-target cells.

Conclusions:

• The aptamer-conjugated polydiacetylene imaging probe is a promising tool for sensitive and specific detection of epithelial cancer cells.
• This ACP technology holds potential for advancing cancer diagnostics and image-guided therapies.