Archive for February, 2011

Raman imaging gives new hope for cancer diagnosis

False colour images of the SERS nanoparticle signals.

Pop over to Chemistry World to read how combining two Raman spectroscopic imaging techniques could offer a valuable tool for future disease diagnosis.

“[The] work solves a limitation of Raman imaging by developing strategies to go from about 5 to 50mm depth penetration,” says Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University.

Co-authored by Analyst Board members Duncan Graham and Pavel Matousek, the paper describes how putting SERS together with deep Raman spectroscopy can enable non-invasive analysis of multiple antibodies for different diseases tagged to nanoparticles.

The original article, published in Chemical Science, can be accessed using the link below:

Surface enhanced spatially offset Raman spectroscopic (SESORS) imaging – the next dimension
Nicholas Stone, Marleen Kerssens, Gavin Rhys Lloyd, Karen Faulds, Duncan Graham and Pavel Matousek
Chem. Sci., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/c0sc00570c

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)

HOT Article: Using FTIR to diagnose cervical cancer

Correlation of p16INK4A expression and HPV copy number with cellular FTIR spectroscopic signatures of cervical cancer cells In this HOT Article a team from Dublin present an impressive study that links imunohistochemistry and fluorescence with FTIR to demonstrate the effectiveness of spectroscopic techniques in the diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry are used to deomonstrate that expression levels of the biomarker protein p16INK4A in cervical cancer cell lines correlates with HPV invection levels.  This confirms p16INK4A as a potential diagnostic marker of cervical cancer. FTIR imaging is then used to identify the specific spectral features of nuclear and cytoplasmic regions of the cervical cancer cells.  By correlating all the findings it was possible to construct a model which can predict the p16INK4A expression level based on a spectral fingerprint of a cell line, demonstrating the diagnostic potential of spectroscopic techniques.

Interested in knowing more?  Read the article here, free until March 11th.

Correlation of p16INK4A expression and HPV copy number with cellular FTIR spectroscopic signatures of cervical cancer cells
Kamila M. Ostrowska, Amaya Garcia, Aidan D. Meade, Alison Malkin, Ifeoluwapo Okewumi, John J. O’Leary, Cara Martin, Hugh J. Byrne and Fiona M. Lyng
Analyst, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00910E

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)

Polymer chip to determine the onset of clotting in response to anticoagulants

Polymer chips embossed with micropillars enhance the distribution of fluorescently labelled fibrinogen, which can be used to determine the onset of clotting in response to anticoagulants.

Read this HOT paper from Anthony J. Killard and colleagues describing a technique for identifying the onset of in vivo clot formation.  One referee decribed it as a ‘clever yet practical approach’.
The paper will be free to access until the end of the month.

Development of a fluorescent method for detecting the onset of coagulation in human plasma on microstructured lateral flow platforms
Magdalena M. Dudek, Nigel J. Kent, Pan Gu, Z. Hugh Fan and Anthony J. Killard
Analyst, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00907E

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)

Issue 4 online

Analyst, 2011, 136(4): 621-848

Analyst Volume 136, Issue 4 is now online, with Comms on the covers:

On the front cover, work by Matt Trau and co-workers on a microparticle-based flow cytometry assay for the analysis of 5MeC-binding proteins, which may have potential in cancer detection.

Communication: Bisulfite-free analysis of 5MeC-binding proteins and locus-specific methylation density using a microparticle-based flow cytometry assay
Simon R. Corrie, Pavel Sova, Qinghua Feng, Tiffany Blair, Nancy B. Kiviat and Matt Trau
Analyst, 2011, 136, 688-691
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00790K

The inside front cover features work by Daxiang Cui and co-workers on the use of magnetic nanoclusters for the detection of hepatitis B virus surface antibodies, showing potential for the diagnosis of infectious diseases.

Communication: The potential of magnetic nanocluster and dual-functional protein-based strategy for noninvasive detection of HBV surface antibodies
Hengyao Hu, Hao Yang, Ding Li, Kan Wang, Jing Ruan, Xueqing Zhang, Jun Chen, Chenchen Bao, Jiajia Ji, Donglu Shi and Daxiang Cui
Analyst, 2011, 136, 679-683
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00517G

Both articles will be free to access for six weeks, so do take a look and leave your comments back here on the blog.

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)

Workshop: Surface chemistry and the non-specific binding problem in biosensor technology

Surface chemistry and the non-specific binding problem in biosensor technology

A one day workshop sponsored by the Applied Materials Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry

May 9th, 2011 (9.00 AM – 5.30 PM)
Burlington House, Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK

The purpose of this symposium is to discuss surface coatings that can be used to address the issue of non-specific binding in biosensors. The symposium will be of interest to both academics and industrialists. While a number of international conferences are dedicated to biosensors, non-specific binding is only dealt with in an ad hoc manner. Considering that this phenomenon will ultimately dictate whether a biosensor can be commercialized or not, it is clear that this symposium dedicated to the subject is both timely and warranted. The symposium will be of interest to any researcher working in the fields of drug discovery, clinical diagnostics and environmental analysis, including homeland security and defence sectors.

Scheduled speakers:
M. Thompson and Christophe Blaszykowski, University of Toronto
Lisa Hall, University of Cambridge
H. Schnerr, TTP LabTech Ltd, Melbourn
J-F. Masson, University of Montreal
S. Reddy, University of Surrey
S. Brewer, DSTL, Porton Down

Registration fee:
75 pounds for academic delegates
100 pounds for industry delegates
Fee includes a lunch and all proceedings
Please contact Ms Wendy King (DSTL, UK) for registration form and payment

Please refer to the RSC Events pages for details on how to register and contact the organisers.

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)