Patent ID: 9395371
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: A61K,B22F,B82Y,C22C,G01N

Claim Text:
1. A process for the production of noble metal or silica nanoparticles as probes capable to fluoresce to label cells and tissues, the method comprising: (1) providing a platform of the nanoparticles; (2) covering the surfaces of the nanoparticles to saturation with thiol-terminated polymers by one of the following methods: (a) mixing the nanoparticles with methoxy-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol, the methoxy-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol having a MW of about 10,000 atomic mass units (amu), and biotin-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol, the biotin-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol having a MW of about 10,000 amu; (b) mixing the nanoparticles with fluorescently-labeled methoxy-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol, the methoxy-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol having a MW of about 10,000 amu and biotin-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol, the biotin-(polyethylene glycol)-thiol having a MW of about 10,000 amu; (c) coordinating thiol and biotin thiol to the surfaces of the nanoparticles by a non-covalent bond; and (d) directly conjugating methoxy-thiol and biotin-thiol to the surfaces of the nanoparticles, whereby the polymers bind to the surfaces of the nanoparticles as a brush layer via thiol particle coordination of the thiol ends so that the biotin or methoxy ends are free, thereby obtaining polymer-covered nanoparticles; (3) homogeneously mixing the resulting polymer-covered nanoparticles with fluorophore labeled avidin or an avidin derivative thereof in proportions of 1 biotin molecule for every 10 to 1000 avidin molecules thereby obtaining fluorescent multi-coloured nanoparticle-avidin complexes and the fluorophore labeled avidin or a derivative thereof being spaced away from the surface of the noble metal or silica nanoparticles, thus reducing or removing the potential quenching of the fluorophore.