Nanosensors for transplant rejection highlighted in Nature Reviews Nephrology
Our recently published paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering was highlighted in Nature Reviews Nephrology!
Publications
Early detection of organ transplant rejection using urine tests published in Nature Biomedical Engineering
Our work on activity sensors for early and noninvasive detection of acute transplant rejection was just published in Nature Biomedical Engineering! Congrats to Quoc and the team!
| Summary | The current diagnostic “gold” standard to monitor transplant patients for signs of organ rejection is the tissue biopsy. However, this procedure is invasive and lacks the ability to detect rejection at an early stage. We developed immune sensors that sense anti-graft immune activity from recipient urine, allowing noninvasive detection at the onset of transplant rejection. | |
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| Press Coverage | Georgia Tech Research Horizons “Urine test detects organ transplant rejection, could replace needle biopsies” | Nature Rev Nephrology “Nanosensors enable early detection of acute T cell-mediated rejection of transplants” | Nature BME “Urinary nanosensors of early transplant rejection” | EurekAlert! “Fluorescing urine signals organ transplant rejection, could replace needle biopsies” | Medical Design and Outsourcing “How urine tests could detect organ transplant rejection and eliminate needle biopsies” | Newswise | TECHExplorist | LongRoom | The Medical News | Science Daily | Medical Xpress | GENbio | MD linx | MDedge | Medical Health News | Pediatric News | Medgadget | ECNmag | InsiderAdvantage | Wearable Technologies | | |
Detecting antigen-specific T cells with DNA barcoded tetramers published in Analytical Chemistry
Our work on synthesizing DNA-barcoded pMHC tetramers to detect single antigen-specific T cells by ddPCR was published in Analytical Chemistry! Congrats to Shreyas and the team!
Read the full manuscript here.
Learn how we synthesize protease nanosensors with our latest JOVE publication
Brandon walks through the synthesis of iron oxide nanosensors in our latest publication in JOVE. Watch the video here.
Precisely Targeting Tumors with Cancer-Fighting T Cells
Our work on remote control T cells for cancer immunotherapy was recently published in ACS Synthetic Biology! Engineered T cell therapies are a new class of treatments that have the potential to cure patients of cancer. However, tumors have the uncanny ability to turn off T cells to evade being targeted. In our study, we developed a new technique to remotely activate T cells, which were genetically modified, using laser targeting and pulses of heat.
Our study was highlighted by numerous news outlets – read more about this technology below.
ASME: Precisely targeting tumors with cancer fighting T cells
Georgia Tech Research Horizons: Remote-control shoots laser at nano-gold to turn on cancer-killing immune cells
Medical News Today: This ‘genetic switch’ could help fight cancer
Additional coverage by Science Daily, Controlled Environments, Phys.org, EurekAlert!, Nanowerk, Nanotechnology Now, Medgadget
Dr. Kwong awarded new patent
Dr. Gabe Kwong at GT/Emory and Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia at MIT have been granted a patent on using isotope-encoded reporters for multiplexed detection of target analytes in biological samples. Congrats! Read more about the patent here.
Remote control using heat-triggered gene switches published in ACS Synthetic Biology
Our work on engineering thermal gene switches for spatial and remote control of transcriptional activity in mammalian cells using pulses of heat was published in ACS Synthetic Biology! Congrats to Ian and the team!
Read the entire manuscript here.
| Summary | Genetically engineered T cells have the potential to cure patients of cancer. Yet after they are infused into recipients, we lack the ability to control their activity throughout the body including at disease sites. Here we genetically engineer T cells to allow them to be remotely controlled using pulses of heat localized by laser light. This could improve the precision of T cell therapies for cancer. |
| Press Coverage | Georgia Tech Research Horizons “Remote-control shoots laser at nano-gold to turn on cancer-killing immune cells” | ASME “Precisely targeting tumors with cancer fighting T cells” | Medical News Today “This ‘genetic switch’ could help fight cancer” | Science Daily | Controlled Environments | Phys.org | EurekAlert! | Nanowerk | Nanotechnology Now | Medgadget “Remote-controlled signal activates T cells for cancer immunotherapy” |
DNA gated cell sorting published in PNAS
Our work on developing DNA gates for multiplexed cell sorting was published in PNAS! Congratulations to Shreyas and the rest of the team!
Read the full manuscript here.
Nanodiagnostics allow patients to monitor their own health at home
Patients who are discharged after an operation are at risk for complications such as infections and blood clots. A simple molecular test designed for patients to monitor their own health at home may significantly improve how post-operative complications are managed. In collaboration with the Bhatia lab at MIT, we developed a sustained-released formulation of nanoparticles that are designed to be administered beneath the skin, and report the risk of bacterial infections or blood clots days after discharge. The detection signals are produced in the patients’ urine and detected by inexpensive paper tests. This at-home test may allow patients to monitor their own health during high-risk periods after surgery.
Read the full research study published in Advanced Functional Materials titled “Sustained-release synthetic biomarkers for monitoring thrombosis and inflammation using point-of-care compatible readouts“
Mathematical framework for activity-based biomarkers
Our work examining the use of activity-based biomarkers for early cancer detection has been published in PNAS.
Summary | The discovery of cancer at an early stage improves treatment outcomes, yet cancer detection thresholds based on blood biomarkers shed by small tumors lack predictivity. We develop a mathematical framework to explore the use of activity-based biomarkers for early cancer detection. In contrast to blood biomarkers, activity-based biomarkers rely on the catalytic activity of enzymes to amplify cancer-derived signals. Using a class of activity-based biomarkers called synthetic biomarkers, we comprehensively explore how detection sensitivities depend on probe design, enzymatic activity, and organ physiology, and how they may be precisely tuned to reveal the presence of small tumors in humans.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Mathematical framework for activity-based cancer biomarkers
Georgia Tech Petit Institute: Amplifying the signals of cancer