Theranostics 2014; 4(3):307-315. doi:10.7150/thno.8007 This issue Cite
Research Paper
1. Translational Medicine Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
2. State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering & Department of Chemistry, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, P.R. China.
Simple and sensitive detection of infectious disease at an affordable cost is urgently needed in developing nations. In this regard, the dot blot immunoassay has been used as a common protein detection method for detection of disease markers. However, the traditional signal reporting systems, such as those using enzymes or gold nanoparticles lack sensitivity and thus restrict the application of these methods for disease detection. In this study, we report a simple and sensitive detection method for the detection of infectious disease markers that couples the dot-blot immunoassay with quantum dots nanobeads (QDNBs) as a reporter. First, the QDNBs were prepared by an oil-in-water emulsion-evaporation technique. Because of the encapsulation of several QDs in one particle, the fluorescent signal of reporter can be amplified with QDNBs in a one-step test and be read using a UV lamp obviating the need for complicated instruments. Detection of disease-associated markers in complex mixture is possible, which demonstrates the potential of developing QDNBs into a sensitive diagnostic kit.
Keywords: dot-blot immunoassay, HBsAg, quantum dots, nanobeads.