Research Projects

Metastatic cancer treatment is a significant challenge, and early detection of metastatic markers like circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is crucial for evaluating the efficacy of ongoing treatments and prognosis. Currently, CTC detection relies on liquid biopsy, which detects biomarkers like tumor-derived exosomes and nucleic acids. However, most studies have limited analytical sensitivities for real-time applications. A sensitive, real-time optical sensor for liquid biopsy samples could alleviate limitations like high costs, processing time, low recovery rate, lack of sample purity, and detection limits. Tumor cells have hyperpolarized mitochondria, making them an excellent target for theranostic agents. Gold nanoparticles, which are studied for chemo and biosensing due to surface plasmon resonance, easy fabrication, surface functionalization, and robustness, are being explored for their potential applications. A gold nanoparticle-based, cationic, "turn-on" fluorescent nanoprobe with aggregation-induced emission properties is proposed to detect circulating tumor cells. The surface of GNPs will be decorated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains conjugated to either TPP or TPE. Longer PEG chains functionalized with a terminal TPP group will detect hyperpolarized mitochondria of CTCs, while shorter PEG chains functionalized with a terminal TPE group will serve as the TURN ON solid-state fluorescent sensor. This strategy could be a promising technology for early and real-time diagnosis of tumor progression in clinical samples.