Tam NC, Scott BMT, Voicu D, Wilson BC & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2010 Gold nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes have shown promise for disease detection and diagnosis. To improve their structural and functional stability for in vivo applications, we synthesized a colloidal SERS gold nanoparticle that encapsulates RamanContinue Reading
Hill ML, Corbin IR, Levitin RB, Cao W, Mainprize JG, Yaffe MJ & Zheng G Academic Radiology, 2010 Rationale and Objectives: Targeted molecular probes offer the potential for greater specificity in cancer imaging with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). We investigate a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) nanoparticle loaded with poly-iodinated triglyceride (ITG)Continue Reading
Lovell JF, Jin H, Ng KK & Zheng G Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2010 Out in the open: Hydrophobically modified molecular beacons were inserted into lipid nanoparticles. Upon addition of the target DNA to a solution of the lipid nanoparticles, irreversible nanoparticle aggregation occurred (see picture). This aggregation phenomenon resultsContinue Reading
Lovell JF, Chen J, Huynh E, Jarvi MT, Wilson BC & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2010 Nucleic acid photodynamic molecular beacons (PMBs) are a class of activatable photosensitizers that increase singlet oxygen generation upon binding a specific target sequence. Normally, PMBs are functionalized with multiple solution-phase labeling and purification steps.Continue Reading
Liu TWB, Chen J & Zheng G Amino Acids, 2010 Peptide-based molecular beacons are Förster resonance energy transfer-based target-activatable probes. They offer control of fluorescence emission in response to specific cancer targets and thus are useful tools for in vivo cancer imaging. With our increasing knowledge about human genome inContinue Reading
Lovell JF, Liu TWB, Chen J & Zheng G Chemical Reviews, 2010 Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment that destroys target cells in the presence of oxygen when light irradiates a photosensitizer, generating highly reactive singlet oxygen. PDT has low systemic toxicity, it can emission of fluorescence. PhotosensitizersContinue Reading
Zhang Z, Chen J, Ding L, Jin H, Lovell JF, Corbin IR, Cao W, Lo P, Yang M, Tsao M, Luo Q & Zheng G Small, 2010 Targeted delivery of intracellularly active diagnostics and therapeutics in vivo is a major challenge in cancer nanomedicine. A nanocarrier should possess long circulationContinue Reading
Zhang Z, Cao W, Jin H, Lovell JF, Yang M, Ding L, Chen J, Corbin I, Luo Q & Zheng G Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2009 Getting straight to the point: A peptide–phospholipid-based biomimetic nanocarrier was developed that can transport cargo molecules directly into cytosolic compartments through a non-endocytotic uptakeContinue Reading
Cao W, Ng KK, Corbin I, Zhang Z, Ding L, Chen J & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2009 The syntheses of novel near-infrared (NIR) dyes with excellent optical properties in biological tissues have driven the continued improvement of fluorescence imaging of deeply seated tumors. Bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchl), a dye synthesizedContinue Reading
Chen J, Liu TWB, Wilson BC & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2009 We report the proof-of-principle concept for zipper molecular beacons (ZMB) comprising an asymmetrical polyarginine/polyglutamate electrostatic “zipper” hairpin-linked fluorophore−quencher pair. The objective is to balance maximal quenching efficiency and optimal two-step activation (protease cleavage/zipper dissociation), while enhancing target cellContinue Reading
