Browsing by Author "Carneiro, Mariana C. C. G."
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- Moving towards personalized medicine—The broad use of aptamers for targeted theranosticPublication . Sousa, André P.; Rocha, Ana C.; Almeida, Cátia; Carneiro, Mariana C. C. G.; Pais, Patrick P.; Viana, Rejane; Fernandes, Rúben; Barata, Pedro; Gestoso, Álvaro; Ramalho, Susana; Martins-Mendes, Daniela; Baylina, Pilar; Pereira, Ana CláudiaAptamers are short, single-stranded oligonucleotides synthesized in vitro from a randomized oligonucleotide library against a specific target. These molecules are capable of binding to a wide range of biological targets with high specificity and affinity. They present great advantages over antibodies with potential applications in research, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Specifically for tumors with late-stage identification and poor prognosis, like pancreatic cancer, the study of novel aptamers holds tremendous potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Along with cancer treatment, aptamers have also shown high potential in regulating the immune response and modulating several critical steps of signaling cascades, such as in immune checkpoints. In the context of microbiota and infection, aptamers are being studied to identify microbes and their metabolites. This assessment has the potential to improve the detection and management of infectious diseases while assisting us in better understanding health risks and treatment outcomes by tracking changes in the microbiota. In this review, the potential of aptamers is explored regarding their applications in cancer, immune, and microbiota therapy.
- Paper-based biomimetic test-strip for CA15-3 with coloured readoutPublication . Carneiro, Mariana C. C. G.; Rodrigues, Lígia R.; Moreira, Felismina; Sales, M. Goreti F.The combination of molecularly-imprinted polymers (MIPs) on paper substrates for capturing a cancer antigen 15–3 (CA15-3) with the traditional coloured transduction scheme of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H2O2 is presented here for the first time. Here, the paper surface was modified with a silane derivative containing an amine function that allows subsequent binding of 3-aminophenylboronic acid (3-APBA). The target protein, CA15-3, was then bound via the boronic groups of APBA. The empty space around CA15-3 was filled by polymerization of dopamine. Finally, the CA15-3 template was removed by breaking the imine function to create vacant sites for which CA15-3 has a high affinity. Binding of CA15-3 was detected by oxidation of TMB substrate by HRP in the presence of H2O2. The results showed that the MIP was able to selectively recognize CA15-3 within 3–500 U mL−1, even in complex samples. Quantitative data were extracted by analysing the colour coordinates of images captured with a smartphone using ImageJ. This selective behaviour was confirmed by comparison with a control material (non– polymer, NIP). Overall, the described approach has advantages over conventional ELISA, namely low cost and high stability, which is due to the use of MIP as a trapping element acting as a selective pre-concentration point of CA15-3. To our knowledge, this is the first biomimetic ELISA (B-ELISA) on paper substrate used for macromolecules such as proteins. We believe that this approach has the potential to be applied to other protein disease biomarkers, making it a suitable tool for screening glycoproteins at the point-of-care.