Quantum Dot (QD) nanobeacons distinguish themselves from molecular beacons with the promise of non-linear activation, tunability, and multi-functionality. These unique features make them highly attractive for cancer detection imaging with opportunities for increased signal-to-background ratio and tunable sensitivity. In this thesis, a nanobeacon was designed to target matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), known to be over-expressed by a wide array of tumours. The nanobeacon is normally dark until specifically activated by MMP-7. The overall design strategy links single QDs to multiple energy acceptors by GPLGLARK peptides that can be cleaved specifically by MMP-7. However, design details such as the choice of energy acceptor and conjugation method was found to drastically alter the function of the nanobeacon. Studies of nanobeacons synthesized with Black Hole Quencher-1 or Rhodamine Red by either covalent conjugation or electrostatic self-assembly revealed that peptide conformation and bonding flexibility are both important considerations in nanobeacon design due to QD sterics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/17180 |
| Date | 24 February 2009 |
| Creators | Hung, Hsiang-Hua Andy |
| Contributors | Chan, Warren C. W., Zheng, Gang |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 2168984 bytes, application/pdf |
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