Description
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are extremely short noncoding RNA molecules which plays an important roles in many biological processes. Changes in miRNA expression are closely related to cancer and other diseases, making them useful biomarkers for molecular diagnosis. However, sensitive miRNA detection is still challenging because of their low abundance, short sequence length, and high similarity among related miRNA family members. Current detection methods including Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) usually requires complicated laboratory procedure for RNA extraction, duplication, and detection, resulting in long turnaround time and low throughput analysis. To overcome the currently limitations, our group aims to develop a novel sensing mechanism which promises both sensitivity and speed. Inspired by laser cavity, herein we created a super-nanomirror cavity formed by using dielectric Bragg reflectors coupled to plasmonic nanocubes to significantly enhance fluorescence signals, achieving detection limits as low as 10⁻¹⁷ M. Genetic biomarkers will be captured and confined within the nanocavity, allowing fluorescence signals to be amplified under excitation. By using quantum dots with different emission wavelengths, cancer-related miRNAs were detected through smartphone color-encoded readout in one shot. To facilitate the quantification process and accuracy, machine learning-enhanced image analysis (Mask-CNN) was introduced to automatically quantify the outcome of nanocavity emissions. The detected density showed a clear concentration-dependent response over a wide range, with detectable signals down to quasi-single molecule level. These results suggest that the proposed nanocavity sensing strategy provides a practical route toward high-throughput and quantitative nucleic acid analysis. In this presentation, we will discuss and demonstrate how such nanocavity imaging platforms can be extended to a wide range of genetic biomarkers, including DNA, RNA, and miRNA to detect diseases faster on chip in the future. (REF: doi.org/10.1002/adma.202522938)
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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