The present invention relates to a novel organic compound, a near-infrared fluorescent constant medium containing the same, and a method for nano-granulating the constant medium.

A functionalized nanomaterial, such as a nanoparticle, can include a polythioaminal functionalized surface. The polythioaminal linked to the surface of the nanomaterial can be bonded to a compound such as therapeutic and/or diagnostic materials. The thiol-based linkages can be used to bond the polythioaminal to both the nanomaterial and the therapeutic and/or diagnostic materials. Polythioaminals can be prepared via reactions of triazine and dithiols. Polythioaminals thus prepared can be further modified to provide linkages to the nanomaterial and other compounds such as medicinal compound, peptides, and dyes. Nanomaterials including such compounds linked thereto via the polythioaminal can be supplied for therapeutic and/or diagnostic purposes to biological target regions.

Described herein are cyclic peptides, nanoparticles bound with cyclic peptides, and methods for using said cyclic peptides and/or said nanoparticles bound with cyclic peptides for intraoperative nerve tissue imaging.

The present invention relates to a nanocarrier for targeted therapy and/or diagnosis of a prostate cancer cell, the nanocarrier including a micelle including a phosphate surfactant represented by a specific Chemical Formula. The micelle including the phosphate surfactant constituting the nanocarrier for targeted therapy and/or diagnosis of the prostate cancer cell according to the present invention is cleaved by the overexpressed enzyme in the vicinity of the prostate cancer cell, so that therapeutic agent or diagnostic agent particles loaded on the micelle are capable of being selectively released to the prostate cancer cell. Therefore, it is possible to maximize the therapeutic and/or diagnostic effects while remarkably reducing the side effects of the drug in the living body compared to a conventional technology.

A method of monitoring viability of stem cell-derived cells used in stem cell therapy comprises introducing one or more stem cell-derived cells to a cell culture media, introducing one or more nanoprobes to the cell culture media, whereby the one or more stem cell-derived cells are transfected with the one or more nanoprobes, and detecting an optical signal from the one or more nanoprobes after transfection. The method may further comprise introducing the one or more transfected stem cell-derived cells to a subject and detecting the optical signal from the one or more nanoprobes in vivo. The one or more stem cell-derived cells may include a stem cell.

Disclosed is a method of non-invasive infrared imaging, comprising (a) administering a composition containing infrared-emitting particles which contain rare earth elements that emit in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectrum, where the particles are encapsulated with a biocompatible matrix to form downconverting encapsulated particles; and (b) irradiating with infrared radiation, where both excitation and emission spectra of the encapsulated particles are in the infrared region. Analogous methods of image-guided biomedical intervention, and drug tracking and delivery are also disclosed. Also disclosed is a composition for biomedical applications, containing infrared-emitting particles which contain rare earth-elements that emit in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectrum, where the particles are encapsulated with a biocompatible matrix to form downconverting encapsulated particles.

Disclosed herein are second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescent composite and its production method. The method mainly includes the steps of, mixing a gold nanocluster having a plurality of a thiol-based compound on its outer surface and alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (alpha-GPC) in a solvent to form a mixture; replacing the solvent with an inert gas; and heating the mixture at a temperature about 100-200? C. in the presence of the inert gas until at least a portion of the gold nanocluster is encapsulated by a capping layer consisting of alpha-GPC, thereby producing the NIR-II fluorescent composite. The thus-produced NIR-II fluorescent composite is characterized by having an emission wavelength covering NIR-II region detectable by specialized camera. Also encompassed in the present disclosure is a method for conducting in vivo bioimaging of a target area in a subject. The method includes administering the present NIR-II fluorescent composite to the target area; and detecting the fluorescence emitted therefrom at a wavelength between 900 to 1700 nm.

Described are compositions comprising amphiphilic polymer nanoparticles, such as DSPE-PEG, encapsulating a photostable agent with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic. The photostable AIE agents are preferably small organic molecules with tetraphenylethylene moieties. The nanoparticles are synthesized by a modified nanoprecipitation method and the size of the nanoparticles is controlled by varying the loading ratio, the solvent ratio and the tatio of hydrophilic to hydrophobic length of the polymer. The nanoparticles are surface modified with a conjugatable group for covalently linking to at least one targeting moiety, such as antibodies or affibodies to IgG, EGFR and Her2. Methods for immunostaining or imaging or detecting or tracking a live cell, such as cancer cells, using the nanoparticle compositions are described.

Nanodiamond particles and related devices and methods, such as nanodiamond particles for the detection and/or quantification of analytes, are generally described. In some embodiments, the device comprises a plurality of nanodiamond particles and a species bound to the nanodiamond particles. In certain embodiments, the plurality of nanodiamond particles may be exposed to a sample suspected of containing an analyte. In some cases, the analyte may bind to the species such that the presence of the analyte in the sample may be detected. In some embodiments, the devices, systems, and methods described herein are useful for the detection of an analyte in a sample obtained from a subject for, for example, diagnostic purposes. In some cases, the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be useful for diagnosing, prevent, treating, and/or managing a disease or bodily condition. In an exemplary embodiment, such systems, devices, and methods described herein may be useful for detecting and/or quantifying the presence of a virus (e.g., ebola) in a subject and/120 or a sample obtained from the subject.

This disclosure relates to targeted protease compositions and uses related thereto. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to nanoparticles wherein a targeting molecule is linked to the nanoparticle and wherein a catalytic domain of a protease is linked to the nanoparticle. In certain embodiments, the targeting molecule and the catalytic domain are within a single polypeptide sequence. In certain embodiments, the targeting molecule binds a molecule more highly expressed on cancer cells then non-cancerous cells, and the nanoparticles disclosed herein are used for the treatment of cancer by further attaching an anti-cancer agent to the nanoparticle or incorporating an anticancer agent within the nanoparticle.