Functionalized Upconversion Nanoparticles for Targeted Labelling of Bladder Cancer Cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Bladder cancer is a prevalent global malignancy with a high recurrence rate, necessitating long-term patient surveillance.
• Current surveillance methods like cystoscopy can be invasive and may require biopsies or tumor resections.
• There is a need for advanced diagnostic tools for early and accurate detection of bladder cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel biohybrid nanocomplexes for enhanced photoluminescent detection of bladder cancer cells.
• To create targeted nanoconjugates capable of selectively binding to urothelial carcinoma cells.
• To investigate the potential of these nanoconjugates for improved bladder cancer diagnosis and image-guided surgery.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) and coated them with a silica layer.
• Linked silica-coated UCNP to anti-Glypican-1 antibody (MIL38) using a silica-specific solid-binding peptide, creating biohybrid nanocomplexes.
• Evaluated the specific binding of the nanoconjugates to urothelial carcinoma cells expressing Glypican-1.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed biohybrid nanocomplexes by coupling UCNP with anti-Glypican-1 antibodies.
• Demonstrated that the nanoconjugates selectively attach to urothelial carcinoma cells that overexpress Glypican-1.
• Observed photoluminescent (PL) emission from the bound nanoconjugates upon near-infrared light excitation, enabling visualization of cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• The developed biohybrid nanocomplexes show high specificity for bladder cancer cells expressing Glypican-1.
• This novel conjugation technology holds significant promise for advancing bladder cancer detection methods.
• The findings suggest potential applications in fluorescence-guided tumor resection and improved diagnostic surveillance.