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NIR-II fluorescent Ag2Se polystyrene beads in a lateral flow immunoassay to detect biomarkers for breast cancer

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Abstract

Fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay (LFA), one tool in point of care testing (POCT) systems for breast cancer, has attracted attention because it is quick, simple, and convenient. However, samples and the constituent material exhibit autofluorescence in the visible region, which is a very large obstacle in the development of fluorescent LFAs. The autofluorescence of biological samples is scarcely found in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) range and samples scatter and absorb less NIR-II light than visible light. Here, we report an NIR-II QD-LFA platform using the NIR-II fluorescent Ag2Se quantum dots (QDs) with 1020 nm emission encapsulated into polystyrene beads as fluorescent probes. The NIR-II LFA platform was established to detect breast cancer tumour markers (CEA and CA153) within 15 min with a low limit of detection (CEA: 0.768 ng mL−1, CA153: 1.192 U mL−1), high recoveries (93.7% ~ 108.8%), and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 10%. This study demonstrated the potential of NIR-II Ag2Se polystyrene beads as a fluorescent probe in LFA for rapid and accurate identification of biomarkers. They are suited for use in professional situations.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (91959103,81801842), Central Government Funds for Local Science and Technology Development (XZ202102YD0033C, XZ202202YD0021C).

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Author notes

  1. Kuhan Deng, Zi-Li Yu and Xiaofeng Hu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Kuhan Deng, Jing Liu & Zhi-Quan Tian

  2. State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Zi-Li Yu

  3. Hubei Hongshan Lab, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Xiaofeng Hu & Zhaowei Zhang

  4. Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control On Plateau (Tibet Autonomous Region), School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China

    Xuechuan Hong & Zhi-Quan Tian

  5. Medical College, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China

    Gong Ga Lan Zi

Authors
  1. Kuhan Deng
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  2. Zi-Li Yu
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Correspondence to Zhaowei Zhang or Zhi-Quan Tian.

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Deng, K., Yu, ZL., Hu, X. et al. NIR-II fluorescent Ag2Se polystyrene beads in a lateral flow immunoassay to detect biomarkers for breast cancer. Microchim Acta 190, 462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-023-06039-9

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