Magnetic Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots for Diagnosis of Early Stage Ovarian Canc

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ocean NanoTech proposes to develop a portable, sensitive, high throughput, low cost, and user friendly system for the early stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), quantum dots (QDs), and a nanoelectrode array (NEA) all integrated in a disposable lab-on-a-chip. The proposed system will consists of a fully automated instrument that requires a disposable lab-on-a-chip device that uses very sensitive high quantum yield quantum dots and nanoelectrode array for signal generation in the diagnosis of stage I levels of ovarian cancer biomarkers at concentrations potentially d 1 ng/mL in a d 60 min assay. It will be fully automated allowing high throughput analysis, high sensitivity with gt 95% reliability, and minimizing false positives and false negatives. Unlike existing diagnostic methods of ovarian cancer which are either invasive or detect biomarkers too late in the progress of the disease leading to very low survival rate, the proposed system is anticipated to detect early stages of the disease which is the most promising approach to the long term survival of ovarian cancer patients. The proposed system is anticipated to diagnose early stage ovarian cancer that can be used for the following very important purposes: 1) regular monitoring of high risk women; 2) diagnose early stage of the disease at the onset of vague clinical symptoms; 3) monitor changes in the ovarian cancer biomarker levels during medication; and 4) detection system during the development and efficacy testing of drugs, vaccine, or other therapeutic molecules. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Our goal is to develop a portable, sensitive, high throughput, low cost, and user friendly system for the early stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer that uses a disposable lab-on-a-chip that integrates the advantages of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), quantum dots (QDs), and nanoelectrode array (NEA) for fluorescence as well as nanoelectrochemical detection. We will develop the best combination of MNPs, QDs, and NEA for isolation and detection of multiple ovarian cancer biomarkers for early diagnosis and possible early treatment of approximately 20,000 American women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and of whom 15,000 die each year.