Michael Henry, Dublin City University, kindly assisted with the data collection and analysis shown in Figure 5. This work was supported partially by (1) George Mason University, (2) the Italian IstitutoSuperiore di Sanita&#8217; in the framework of the Italy/USA cooperation agreement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, and the Italian Ministry of Public Health, (3) NIH, IMAT program grants 1R21CA137706-01 and 1R33CA173359-01 to LAL, and (4) Ceres Nanosciences, Inc.

Human plasma and urine was collected from healthy volunteer donors, with written informed consent, following George Mason University Institutional Review Board approved protocols. Donors were equally distributed between Caucasian males and females between the ages of 25 and 42. Samples were analyzed individually and were not pooled.
1. Nanoparticle Processing of Serum or Plasma Samples
Potential low abundant biomarkers in plasma are captured, in solution, with hydroge...

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E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Challenges+in+translating+plasma+proteomics+from+bench+to+bedside:+update+from+the+NHLBI+Clinical+Proteomics+Programs.">Challenges in translating plasma proteomics from bench to bedside: update from the NHLBI Clinical Proteomics Programs.</a> Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 295 (1), L16-L22 (2008).</li><li>Merrell, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+low-abundance,+low-molecular-weight+serum+proteins+using+mass+spectrometry.">Analysis of low-abundance, low-molecular-weight serum proteins using mass spectrometry.</a> J Biomol Tech. 15 (4), 238-248 (2004).</li><li>Petricoin, E. F., Belluco, C., Araujo, R. P., Liotta, L. 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Benjamin Espina is an employee of Ceres Nanosciences, Inc. that produces reagents used in this Article. Lance Liotta, Alessandra Luchini and Virginia Espina hold patents (US patent 7,935,518 and/or 8,497,137) on the nanoparticle technology used in this Article. As university employees they are entitled to receive royalty from these patents per university policy. Lance Liotta and Alessandra Luchini are shareholders in Ceres Nanosciences and serve on the Scientific Advisory Board.

Clinical Relevance
A serum or plasma sample is thought to contain low-abundance circulating proteins and peptides which can provide a rich source of information regarding the state of the organism as a whole. Despite the promise of serum proteomics, there are three fundamental and serious physiologic barriers thwarting biomarker discovery and translation to clinical benefit10, 11, 16, 25.
1. Important diagnostic biomarkers may exist in ex...

Despite the completion of the human genome sequencing, significant progress has not been made in identifying biomarkers predictive of early stage disease, or that correlate with therapeutic outcome, or prognosis1. One reason for this lack of progress is that many potentially significant biomarkers exist at a concentration below the detection limit of conventional mass spectrometry and other biomarker discovery platforms. Mass spectrometry (MS) and Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) have a detection sensitivity typically greater than 50 ng/ml while the majority of the analytes measured by immunoassays in a clinical laboratory fall in the range between 50 pg/ml and 10 ng/ml. This means that many biomarkers, particularly in the early stage of a disease cannot be detected by conventional MS and MRM2. In addition the presence of high-abundance proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulin in complex biological fluids often mask by billion-fold excess low-abundance, low molecular weight proteins and peptides3, 4. For this reason several sample preparatory steps are required prior to mass spectrometry sequencing and identification. One such preparatory step employs the depletion of high-abundance proteins with commercially available depletion columns5-8. Unfortunately this step leads to the reduction of the yield of candidate biomarkers because they are often non-covalently associated with carrier proteins that are being removed. Another challenge is represented by the stability of candidate biomarkers ex-vivo once the samples are collected. Proteins are subject to degradation by endogenous or exogenous proteases9. Hydrogel nanoparticles can transcend these critical challenges by amplifying the putative biomarker concentration to a level within the range of the assay, while protecting the protein from degradation10-13.
It&#8217;s important to note that LMW proteins in blood are a mixture of small intact proteins as well as fragments of large proteins. Tissue-derived proteins larger than 60 kDa are too large to passively enter the blood stream through the vascular basement membrane, but they can be represented in blood as peptides or protein fragments14. Our goal is to measure novel circulating biomarkers that can be candidates for early detection of disease, patient stratification for therapy, and monitoring the response to therapy. Our nanoparticles are created to selectively exclude high abundance immunoglobulins and albumin, while simultaneously capturing smaller proteins and peptides and concentrating them up to 100-fold depending on the starting volume.
Our group identified a set of small organic dyes which can successfully act as high affinity molecular baits for proteins and peptides. Protein-dye binding is thought to be due to a combination of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The aromatic rings on the dye interleave with proteins via hydrophobic pockets on the protein surface11.
The baits, depending on their chemistry, show a particular affinity for selected classes of analytes. The baits compete with the carrier proteins, such as albumin, for the proteins or peptides. The low-molecular weight proteins/peptides become trapped in the particle. High-molecular weight proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulin are prevented from entering the particle because of the sieving capability due to the restrictive pore of the hydrogel11(Figure 1).
Hydrogel nanoparticles are synthesized by precipitation polymerization initiated by ammonium persulfate11. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm), co-monomers of acrylic acid (AAc) and allylamine (AA) and cross-linker N,N&#8217;-Methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) are allowed to react at 70 &#176;C for 6 hr in dilute conditions11, 13. The high protein binding affinity of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (poly(NIPAm-co-AAc) nanoparticlesis achieved by covalently incorporating amino-containing dyes (i.e., sulfonatedanthraquinonetriazine dyes) into the nanoparticles through an amidation reaction performed in aqueous or organic solvents depending on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics of the dyes11, 13. Nucleophilic substitution of the amine groups in the nanoparticle with the chloride atom of an anthraquinonetriazine dye is utilized to create dye-containing poly(NIPAm-co-Allylamine) (AA) nanoparticles11, 12. A two-step polymerization process is utilized to create hydrogel nanoparticles containing an outer shell of vinylsulfonic acid (VSA)11, 13.
Hydrogel nanoparticles can be applied to various biological fluids, including whole blood, plasma, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, sweat, and urine. In one step, in solution, the nanoparticles perform a rapid (within minutes) sequestration and concentration of low molecular weight analytes10, 11, 13, 15-18. Proteins are subsequently eluted from the nanoparticles and detected using western blotting19-21, mass spectrometry10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 22, 23, immunoassays/ELISA10, 11, 15, 18, or reverse phase protein microarray16, 24 assays. Nanoparticles functionalized with chemical bait, and presenting a core or core shell architecture, capture and concentrate proteins based on the bait/shell physicochemical properties. Different dyes incorporated into the nanoparticles will therefore capture different subsets of proteins with varying efficiency based on the dye affinity, pH of the solution, and the presence/absence of competing high-abundant proteins13. Furthermore, the quantity of nanoparticles in relation to the volume of the solution will affect the protein yield from the nanoparticles. These aspects of hydrogel nanoparticle harvesting are demonstrated using three different nanoparticle baits for harvesting proteins from plasma samples which contain high amounts of protein, and from urine samples which typically do not contain large amounts of protein. In this protocol we demonstrate harvesting and concentrating tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF&#945;) from plasma samples using poly(NIPAm-co-AAc), Poly(NIPAm/dye), and core- shell nanoparticles (Poly(NIPAm-co-VSA)). Poly(NIPAm/dye) nanoparticles are shown to concentrate Mycobacterium species antigen that was added to human urine samples, to mimic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infected individuals.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="957">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">hydrogel nanoparticles</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Ceres Nanoscience</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">CS003</td>
			<td style="width:336px;">NanoTrap ESP particles</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">18 M&#937;-cm water</td>
			<td style="width:187px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>Type 1 reagent grade water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tris HCl, 50mM pH7.0</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">IC816116</td>
			<td>50mM, pH 7</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Acetonitrile</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">BDH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BDH1103-4LP</td>
			<td>available from VWR</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="25">
			<td height="25" style="height:25px;">Ammonium Hydroxide NH4OH</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">BDH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BDH3014</td>
			<td>available from VWR, assayed at 28-30% NH3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">sodium thiocyanate 25mM</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Acros Organics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">419675000</td>
			<td>for serum/plasma samples</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Multi-analyte Urine Reagent Strips</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Siemens</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">2161</td>
			<td style="width:336px;">for urine samples</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">Tris-Glycine SDS Sample Buffer (2X)</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">LC2676</td>
			<td style="width:336px;">use at room temperature to prevent SDS from precipitating</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;">Dry bath incubator (100 oC) with heating block</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Barnstead</td>
			<td>11-715-125DQ</td>
			<td>do not substitute a boiling water bath</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Nitrogen evaporator manifold</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Organomation Associates</td>
			<td>Microvap118</td>
			<td>for serum/plasma samples</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">Centrifuge, swing-out rotor</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Sorvall</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Legend series</td>
			<td>50ml tube capacity, rcf 3700 x g</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">Centrifuge, fixed angle rotor</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">5424</td>
			<td>1.7ml microcentrifuge capacity, rcf 16,000 x g</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">50ml conical centrifuge&#160;tubes</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14-432-22</td>
			<td>with screw caps for urine samples</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">1.5ml microcentrifuge tubes</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Eppendorf</td>
			<td>22363204</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">Disposable plastic transfer pipettes</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">13-711-7M</td>
			<td>at least 1ml capacity</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Vortex mixer</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>50-949-755</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:315px;">Timer</td>
			<td style="width:187px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">S04782</td>
			<td>seconds/minutes</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

hydrogel nanoparticle harvesting of plasma or urine for detecting low abundance proteins

Novel biomarker discovery plays a crucial role in providing more sensitive and specific disease detection. Unfortunately many low-abundance biomarkers that exist in biological fluids cannot be easily detected with mass spectrometry or immunoassays because they are present in very low concentration, are labile, and are often masked by high-abundance proteins such as albumin or immunoglobulin. Bait containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAm) based nanoparticles are able to overcome these physiological barriers. In one step they are able to capture, concentrate and preserve biomarkers from body fluids. Low-molecular weight analytes enter the core of the nanoparticle and are captured by different organic chemical dyes, which act as high affinity protein baits. The nanoparticles are able to concentrate the proteins of interest by several orders of magnitude. This concentration factor is sufficient to increase the protein level such that the proteins are within the detection limit of current mass spectrometers, western blotting, and immunoassays. Nanoparticles can be incubated with a plethora of biological fluids and they are able to greatly enrich the concentration of low-molecular weight proteins and peptides while excluding albumin and other high-molecular weight proteins. Our data show that a 10,000 fold amplification in the concentration of a particular analyte can be achieved, enabling mass spectrometry and immunoassays to detect previously undetectable biomarkers.

Hydrogel Nanoparticle Size and Uniformity
Poly(NIPAm-AAc) particles have been produced with extremely high yield and reproducibility between and within batches. The particles have very good colloidal stability at RT during the time required for capture, storage, and elution of proteins (at least 48 hr), and nanoparticle precipitation has not been observed (Figure 1)11. The colloidal stability may be very important for rapid protein/peptide uptake by...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Hydrogel Nanoparticle Harvesting of Plasma or Urine for Detecting Low Abundance Proteins at JoVE.com

Hydrogel Nanoparticle Harvesting of Plasma or Urine for Detecting Low Abundance Proteins

Several pathological biomarkers cannot be easily detected by current techniques because of their low concentration in biological fluids, the presence of degrading enzymes, and large amounts of high molecular weight proteins. Chemically functionalized hydrogel nanoparticles can harvest, preserve and concentrate low abundance proteins enabling the detection of previously undetectable biomarkers.

Novel biomarker discovery plays a crucial role in providing more sensitive and specific disease detection. Unfortunately many low-abundance biomarkers ...

hydrogel-nanoparticle-harvesting-plasma-or-urine-for-detecting-low

Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

13.8K Görüntüleme.  George Mason University. Several pathological biomarkers cannot be easily detected by current techniques because of their low concentration in biological fluids, the presence of degrading enzymes, and large amounts of high molecular weight proteins. Chemically functionalized hydrogel nanoparticles can harvest, preserve and concentrate low abundance proteins enabling the detection of previously undetectable biomarkers.