Nanosensors to Detect Protease Activity In Vivo for Noninvasive Diagnostics.

ABSTRACT: Proteases are multi-functional enzymes that specialize in the hydrolysis of peptide-bonds and control broad biological processes including homeostasis and allostasis. Moreover, dysregulated protease activity drives pathogenesis and is a functional biomarker of diseases such as cancer; therefore, the ability to detect protease activity in vivo may provide clinically relevant information for biomedical diagnostics. The goal of this protocol is to create nanosensors that probe for protease activity in vivo by producing a quantifiable signal in urine. These protease nanosensors consist of two components: a nanoparticle and substrate. The nanoparticle functions to increase circulation half-life and substrate delivery to target disease sites. The substrate is a short peptide sequence (6-8 AA), w

SUBMITTER: Holt BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6126475 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature