Nanocrystals, compositions, and methods that aid particle transport in mucus are provided. In some embodiments, the compositions and methods involve making mucus-penetrating particles (MPP) without any polymeric carriers, or with minimal use of polymeric carriers. The compositions and methods may include, in some embodiments, modifying the surface coatings of particles formed of pharmaceutical agents that have a low water solubility. Such methods and compositions can be used to achieve efficient transport of particles of pharmaceutical agents though mucus barriers in the body for a wide spectrum of applications, including drug delivery, imaging, and diagnostic applications. In certain embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition including such particles is well-suited for administration routes involving the particles passing through a mucosal barrier.

Microvesicles play essential roles in disease progression. The present invention provides a microvesicle membrane protein and application thereof. Disclosed is a method comprising phosphorylated CSE1L (cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein)- or CSE1L-binding agents for microvesicle isolation, analysis, or binding for disease diagnosis.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) that may be useful as ultrasound contrast agents for detecting and treating bladder cancer are described herein. The MSNs include a lanthanide, a fluorophore, and an agent detectable by ultrasound.

Nanostructures, methods of preparing nanostructures, methods of detecting targets in subjects, and methods of treating diseases in subjects, are disclosed. An embodiment, among others, of the nanostructure includes a metallic gold surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoparticle, a Raman reporter and a protection structure. The protection structure may include a thiol-polyethylene glycol to which may be attached a target-specific probe.

Nanocrystals, compositions, and methods that aid particle transport in mucus are provided. In some embodiments, the compositions and methods involve making mucus-penetrating particles (MPP) without any polymeric carriers, or with minimal use of polymeric carriers. The compositions and methods may include, in some embodiments, modifying the surface coatings of particles formed of pharmaceutical agents that have a low water solubility. Such methods and compositions can be used to achieve efficient transport of particles of pharmaceutical agents though mucus barriers in the body for a wide spectrum of applications, including drug delivery, imaging, and diagnostic applications. In certain embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition including such particles is well-suited for administration routes involving the particles passing through a mucosal barrier.

The present application discloses solid compositions for the oral administration of dyes, and diagnostic use thereof. Preferably, such diagnostic use is aimed at the diagnostic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Provided herein is a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of cypate-Cyclo(Cys-Gly-Arg-Asp-Ser-Pro-Cys)-Lys-OH (LS301), cypate-Cyclo(Cys-Gly-Arg-Asp-Ser-Pro-Cys)-Tyr-OH (LS838) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein each amino acid residue is independently in a D or L configuration; a divalent metal ion; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Further provided are lyophilized products comprising a dye-conjugate and m methods for identifying compromised and for binding phosphorylated annexin A2 (pANXA2) protein in a biological sample using a composition described herein.

The present invention relates to methods for improving the detection of pathologies in the colon and method of flagging the mucosal lesions in the colon.

The present invention relates to a nanoparticle having a linker connected to a long alkane or alkene chain, and a method for preparing the nanoparticle. The alkyl chain of C.sub.10-30 introduced with a ligand of the present invention can be coated on a hydrophobic nanoparticle through a noncovalent bond, enabling easy introduction of various ligands to the nanoparticle, and the nanoparticle having various functional groups prepared using the method can be applied to fluorescent detection, MRI, raman spectroscopy, optical detection, PET, SPECT, or gamma image device, and the ligand of the visualization agents can be modified to be used for new vessels detection, cancer cell detection, immunocyte detection, hepatocyte detection, cell death detection, and gene detection.

The present disclosure relates to a plurality of quantum dot nanoparticles conjugated to ligands, and in particular a plurality of quantum dot nanoparticles wherein each nanoparticle is conjugated to an exosome-specific binding ligand. The present disclosure also relates to methods of making such a plurality of conjugated quantum dot nanoparticles, methods of detecting exosomes using such a plurality of conjugated quantum dot nanoparticles and methods of detecting exosomes using such a plurality of conjugated quantum dot nanoparticles.