Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Leon G. Feld, Yevhen Shynkarenko, Franziska Krieg, Gabriele Raino, Maksym V. Kovalenko
Summary: The study explores CsPbBr3 nanocrystals as probes in single-molecule localization microscopy, introducing a new workflow that efficiently identifies false localizations to achieve precise localization with subwavelength spatial resolution. Through Monte-Carlo simulations, the optimal quantum dot blinking dynamics for dSTORM applications is identified, leveraging the benefits of higher absorption cross-sections and enhanced photostability to push the boundaries of quantum dot super-resolution microscopy towards sub-nanometer spatial resolution.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kush Kaushik, Aditya Yadav, Farhan Anjum, Pushpendra Mani Mishra, Shagun Sharma, Chethana Rao, Chayan Kanti Nandi
Summary: This study demonstrates a significant increase in cell viability and tuning of intermittency of water-soluble CdTe quantum dots upon conjugation with bovine serum albumin (BSA), making them suitable as fluorescent probes for super resolution bioimaging of lysosomes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhaoyan Yang, Yuhui Dong, Shenfei Zong, Lang Li, Kuo Yang, Zhuyuan Wang, Haibo Zeng, Yiping Cui
Summary: This study explores water-dispersed perovskite CsPbBr3 nanocrystals as a fluorophore for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). The CsPbBr3 NCs fabricated by a one-step mechanochemical method exhibit ultrahigh photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), frequent fluorescence blinking, proper duty cycle, and long-term photostability, achieving an extremely high location precision of around 3 nm. The spatial resolution of SMLM images depends on the size of CsPbBr3 NCs, with a size of approximately 23 nm providing clear distinction of closely spaced NCs. Furthermore, the CsPbBr3 NCs can retain their excellent fluorescence characteristics even after surface biofunctionalization, expanding the possibilities for perovskite quantum dot-based SMLM in bioimaging.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Li, Gabriele S. Kaminski Schierle, Bingfu Lei, Yingliang Liu, Clemens F. Kaminski
Summary: Super-resolution imaging techniques have become popular for visualizing cellular structures with nanometric resolution. This review focuses on the use of fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) as bright and photostable probes for super-resolution imaging. The review provides an overview of different super-resolution methods, discusses their demands on the properties of fluorescent NPs, and reviews the features, strengths, and weaknesses of each NP class. The future outlook and opportunities in material science for the development of probes for multiplexed subcellular imaging with nanometric resolution are also discussed.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Fu, Jiefu Yin, Huaqiang Cao, Zhongfu Zhou, Junying Zhang, Jingjing Fu, Jamie H. Warner, Cheng Wang, Xiaofang Jia, G. Neville Greaves, Anthony K. Cheetham
Summary: The photoluminescence blinking behavior of single quantum dots under steady illumination is a significant yet controversial topic. It hinders the use of single quantum dots in bioimaging. Different mechanisms, particularly the non-radiative Auger recombination mechanism, have been proposed to explain it. Fluorescence non-blinking is observed in photocharged single graphene quantum dots (GQDs) due to the presence of singly charged trions that maintain photon emission through radiative and non-radiative Auger recombination. This phenomenon is attributed to the different energy levels caused by oxygen-containing functional groups in the GQDs, and the suppression of blinking is attributed to trap site filling caused by Coulomb blockade.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Anna V. Rodina
Summary: Mid-infrared pulses stimulate fast neutralization of photocharged colloidal nanocrystals, suppressing blinking of a single nanocrystal's photoluminescence.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zengjin Liu, Ying Zheng, Ting Xie, Zihan Chen, Zhenlong Huang, Zhiwei Ye, Yi Xiao
Summary: Spontaneously blinking probes that do not require UV or external additives are highly attractive in super resolution imaging of live cells. A clickable rhodamine spirolactam probe, Atto565-Tet, was successfully applied to super resolution imaging of mitochondria and lysosomes after biorthogonal labelling.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Liangliang Zhou, Bin Yu, Lilin Huang, Huiqun Cao, Danying Lin, Yingying Jing, Faiz Wali, Junle Qu
Summary: In this study, a nonblinking core-multishell InP/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dot was synthesized using a hydrofluoric acid etching passivation method. The nonblinking quantum dot exhibited high fluorescence efficiency, good photostability, and high targeting. These nonblinking quantum dots can be used for long-term super-resolution visualization of subcellular dynamics.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei Fu, Huaqiang Cao, Anthony K. K. Cheetham
Summary: Quantum dots (QDs) with non-blinking applied in bio-imaging play a vital role in understanding cellular dynamics. Antbunching is not sufficient to demonstrate a single QD, and blinking behavior is characteristic of the single QD due to its discrete energy levels. A new method using catalytic reaction to transform a single graphene quantum dot from non-blinking to blinking is reported, which helps identify a single QD and understand its catalytic and kinetic behaviors.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Zheng, Neville Dadina, Deepto Mozumdar, Lauren Lesiak, Kayli N. Martinez, Evan W. Miller, Alanna Schepartz
Summary: This study describes a new small molecule, MAO-N-3, that can assemble high-density environmentally sensitive probes to selectively label and image the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) in live cells and multiple cell states. These probes have excellent spectral and temporal resolution and do not require genetic manipulations.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhihong Wei, Boyang Wang, Daocheng Hong, Mingcai Xie, Sushu Wan, Weiqing Yang, Siyu Lu, Yuxi Tian
Summary: Antioxidant Trolox has been shown to significantly enhance the photostability and reduce photoblinking of carbon dots (CDs) without affecting their spectral characteristics. The addition of Trolox results in significant photoluminescence enhancement and stabilization at ensemble level, as well as remarkably stable emissions at individual particle level. The charged state of CDs can be effectively recovered to a neutral state by Trolox via electron transfer, indicating the potential of using antioxidants to improve the fluorescence robustness of CDs for long-lived, nonblinking emission applications.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lata Chouhan, Syoji Ito, Elizabeth Mariam Thomas, Yuta Takano, Sushant Ghimire, Hiroshi Miyasaka, Vasudevanpillai Biju
Summary: Despite the excellent optoelectronic properties of halide perovskites, defects such as halide vacancies can adversely affect their stability and durability. By using halide precursors to fill these vacancies, real-time suppression of nonradiative exciton recombination and photoluminescence blinking in perovskite quantum dots is achieved, leading to improved quantum efficiencies and lifetimes. Statistical analysis also reveals different types of blinking mechanisms in quantum dots before and after halide vacancy filling.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Minxing Yan, Lingfeng Zhou, Hongjun Tian, Guangjie Luo, Li Xu, Deren Yang, Yanjun Fang
Summary: Si-based perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) with enhanced light extraction ratio and improved photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) were achieved through fine-tuning the thicknesses of the functional layers and regulating the crystallization process with an additive. The optimized devices showed a record EQE over 20% and intense radiant exitance.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Soumen Mukherjee, Swarnali Ghosh, Dibyendu Biswas, Mainak Ghosal, Kheyali De, Prasun K. Mandal
Summary: Zn-alloyed CsPb(Cl/Br)(3) perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) were synthesized and used as a model system for Mn doping to study the effect of Mn doping on exciton dynamics. The radiative decay rate of the host band decreased by about 6.5 times and the non-radiative decay rate increased by about 2.5 times upon Mn doping, while keeping the PL emission maximum and PLQY of both PNC samples nearly the same. Unlike previous reports, the integrated PL intensity of the dopant emission in this case increased by about 5.5-fold when the temperature decreased from 290 K to 190 K. The presence of shallow trap states was responsible for the truncation in the PDDs of both ON and OFF events for PNC1, whereas the deep dopant states did not allow truncation in the host PL emission of PNC2.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Maha K. Rahim, Jinghui Zhao, Hinesh V. Patel, Hauna A. Lagouros, Rajesh Kota, Irma Fernandez, Enrico Gratton, Jered B. Haun
Summary: Fluorescence lifetime-based multiplexing allows simultaneous detection of multiple probes, and the phasor approach provides a simple solution for lifetime analysis. This study demonstrates the ability of phasor analysis to resolve and quantify exogenous fluorescent probes based on lifetime information alone. It also shows that lifetime-based quantitation accuracy can be improved through intensity matching. The results highlight the potential of fluorescence lifetime imaging and phasor analysis as a powerful tool for simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Venkata Rao Krishnamurthi, Nathaniel Harris, Ariel Rogers, Min Zou, Yong Wang
Summary: This study investigates how bacteria interact with cylindrical micro-pillars and modified cylindrical micro-pillars with different surface features, showing that sharp spikes have the largest effect on bacteria compared to smooth surfaces, convex and concave ripples. Numerical simulations explain the experimental observations and demonstrate that the observed effects are due to the geometric modifications. This research contributes to a better understanding of the interaction between bacteria and different surfaces.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Valenti Gomez, Myria Galazi, Gregory Weitsman, James Monypenny, Fahad Al-Salemee, Paul R. Barber, Kenrick Ng, Richard Beatson, Balint Szokol, Laszlo Orfi, Greg Mullen, Bart Vanhaesebroeck, Simon Chowdhury, Hing Y. Leung, Tony Ng
Summary: This study investigated the response of PTEN wild-type prostate cancer cells to dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor treatment and found that combination therapy with HER2 or mGluR1 inhibitors can inhibit cell survival and tumor growth, providing a new therapeutic possibility for patients with PTEN wild-type PI3K/AKT-mutant prostate cancer.
MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Azalea A. Khan, Francis Man, Farid N. Faruqu, Jana Kim, Fahad Al-Salemee, Amaia Carrascal-Minino, Alessia Volpe, Revadee Liam-Or, Paul Simpson, Gilbert O. Fruhwirth, Khuloud T. Al-Jamal, Rafael T. M. de Rosales
Summary: This study explored the use of [Zr-89]Zr(oxinate)(4) for labeling sEVs and demonstrated the possibility of tracking labeled sEVs in vivo using PET imaging. Differential biodistribution of intentionally heat-damaged sEVs compared to intact sEVs was also observed. Therefore, this method can be reliably used to explore the potential of sEVs as drug delivery systems.
BIOCONJUGATE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kelly Kersten, Kenneth H. Hu, Alexis J. Combes, Bushra Samad, Tory Harwin, Arja Ray, Arjun Arkal Rao, En Cai, Kyle Marchuk, Jordan Artichoker, Tristan Courau, Quanming Shi, Julia Belk, Ansuman T. Satpathy, Matthew F. Krummel
Summary: This study reveals the biological association between tumor-associated macrophages and exhausted T cells in the tumor microenvironment and their impact on immune function. The study found that depletion of tumor-associated macrophages can alleviate exhaustion in tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells and restore their effector potential.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Asmaa A. Sadoon, William F. Oliver, Yong Wang
Summary: This study investigated the diffusion-temperature relationship of proteins and dyes in bacterial cytoplasm using single-particle tracking photoactivated localization microscopy. The researchers proposed an alternative model in which the cytoplasm is considered as a polymeric network or mesh, which contributed to the viscosity experienced by diffusing molecules. The model successfully predicted the diffusion-temperature relations and suggested the possible existence of phase transitions.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
En Cai, Casey Beppler, John Eichorst, Kyle Marchuk, Scott W. Eastman, Matthew F. Krummel
Summary: This study demonstrates the randomness of receptor patch localization within the membrane and on microvillar projections prior to antigen detection, which may play a role in the generation of multiple individually composed receptor patch compositions at a single synapse.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Oncology
David J. Propper, Fangfei Gao, Mark P. Saunders, Debashis Sarker, John A. Hartley, Victoria J. Spanswick, Helen L. Lowe, Louise D. Hackett, Tony T. Ng, Paul R. Barber, Gregory E. Weitsman, Sarah Pearce, Laura White, Andre Lopes, Sharon Forsyth, Daniel Hochhauser
Summary: This study examined the toxicity and efficacy of high-dose pulsed AZD8931 combined with chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. Results showed acceptable toxicity and some patients had good response to the treatment. Furthermore, a reduction in circulating HER2/3 dimer was observed after treatment.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Shaorong Zhao, Teng Pan, Jinhai Deng, Lixia Cao, Jose M. Vicencio, Jingjing Liu, Guanglin Zhou, Tony Ng, Jin Zhang
Summary: This study reveals the important role of exosomal miR-181b-5p in doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer, and suggests its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for doxorubicin-resistant BC patients.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Diksha Shrestha, Jun Ou, Ariel Rogers, Amani Jereb, Deborah Okyere, Jingyi Chen, Yong Wang
Summary: In this study, we investigated the motion of Escherichia coli bacteria in microsphere-mimicked porous media. The density of microspheres affected bacterial velocity and directional changes, mainly due to collisions with the microspheres. We also established the correlation between bacterial trapping and geometric confinement imposed by the microspheres, and numerical simulations confirmed experimental observations.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jacinta Jacob, Alessia Volpe, Qi Peng, Robert I. Lechler, Lesley A. Smyth, Giovanna Lombardi, Gilbert O. Fruhwirth
Summary: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a potential cell therapy for autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection. However, the fate and function of Tregs in vivo remain unclear. In this study, we attempted to track Tregs using radiolabeling and PET imaging but found that the labeled Tregs failed to expand and survive. Therefore, indirect labeling methods may be more effective for tracking Tregs in this scenario.
Article
Biology
Paul R. Barber, Rami Mustapha, Fabian Flores-Borja, Giovanna Alfano, Kenrick Ng, Gregory Weitsman, Luigi Dolcetti, Ali Abdulnabi Mohamed, Felix Wong, Jose M. Vicencio, Myria Galazi, James W. Opzoomer, James N. Arnold, Selvam Thavaraj, Shahram Kordasti, Jana Doyle, Jon Greenberg, Magnus T. Dillon, Kevin J. Harrington, Martin Forster, Anthony C. C. Coolen, Tony Ng
Summary: An immune-based combined multimodality signature was developed to predict response to treatment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The signature was obtained from longitudinal peripheral blood monitoring and validated in an independent cohort, showing higher predictive power than baseline models. Tissue counterparts for the immune cells driving the models were identified using imaging mass cytometry and correlated with outcome.
Article
Immunology
Elena Skourti, Alessia Volpe, Cameron Lang, Preeth Johnson, Fani Panagaki, Gilbert O. Fruhwirth
Summary: MicroRNAs play a crucial role in physiology and disease, especially in cancer development and progression. In this study, a novel in vivo microRNA detector platform was developed, allowing non-invasive quantification of microRNA changes in tumor models. The platform was found to accurately report on microRNA presence and revealed immune-mediated phenotypic changes in breast cancer tumors as they progressed.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin Russell, Ariel Rogers, Ryan Yoder, Matthew Kurilich, Venkata Rao Krishnamurthi, Jingyi Chen, Yong Wang
Summary: Silver (Ag) in different forms has gained attention for its antimicrobial activities, especially as bacteria become more resistant to antibiotics. However, the mechanism of how Ag affects bacterial motility is not fully understood. In this study, we found that Ag+ ions significantly inhibited the motility of E. coli bacteria and increased the tumbling/pausing frequency. Using the hidden Markov model (HMM), we analyzed the results and found that Ag+ ions decreased the bacterial tumbling/pausing-to-running transition rate. This work provides new quantitative understanding of Ag-based antimicrobial agents in bacterial motility.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Ariel Rogers, Zhiyao He, Yong Wang
Summary: In this study, the potential use of Tesla valves for filtering and sorting microscale active swimmers was investigated. Computational simulations were conducted to study the behavior of microscale swimmers passing through the Tesla valve at different velocities. The results demonstrated that Tesla valves can effectively filter and sort microscale swimmers based on their swimming behavior, suggesting potential applications in microscale sorting and chromatography with implications for biomedical and environmental engineering.
APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ariel T. Rogers, Kaitlin R. Bullard, Akash C. Dod, Yong Wang
Summary: Bacterial studies based on growth curves are common, but analysis and interpretation of measurements with microplate readers can be challenging. A new analysis method based on time derivatives has been developed to evaluate bacterial growth more effectively.
