Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/J013331/1
Title:	Bridging the Gap in the Development of Gold Nanoparticle-based Enzyme Biosensing
Principal Investigator:	Stevens, Professor M
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Materials
Organisation:	Imperial College London
Scheme:	Follow on Fund
Starts:	01 April 2012	Ends:	30 September 2013	Value (£):	115,911
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Biological & Medicinal Chem. Biomaterials
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 18 Oct 2011 Follow-on Fund Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Quantitatively measuring enzyme activity is a great challenge since the product of this activity is often altered by only a single molecular bond. Many current methods rely on the creation of fluorescent analogues that exhibit an increase or decrease in brightness when modified by enzymes. This approach is problematic, though, because the addition of a bulky fluorescent group can change the molecular interaction. Furthermore, it is often a slow and tedious process to redesign these tests for new applications. In contrast, we have developed an array of assays based on the unique optical properties of gold nanoparticles, which do not suffer from these drawbacks. By selectively functionalising the surface of gold nanoparticles, we are able to make them either aggregate or disperse in response to enzyme activation. This change in physical state then manifests itself as a dramatic colour change of the solution. This property naturally lends itself to both qualitative and quantitative measurements of enzyme activity. Over the past several years, we have developed and tested a number of assays based on this basic concept. The two most successful to date have been a protease assay and a lipase assay, both of which are of great clinical relevance. We have explored using the protease assay to test for HIV biomarkers and, since proteases are involved in a number of viral and parasitic infections, we expect that there will be many more applications to come. Lipases are also medically important, as their level in the body can become too high due to arthritis, acute sepsis and certain types of cancer. Because of this wide-ranging involvement, efforts are currently underway in the pharmaceutical industry to develop drugs that will target lipases. One of the great advantages of our technology is the fact that, in addition to diagnosing disease, it can also potentially help in the search for new drugs to treat those diseases. In contrast to methods that simply measure enzyme concentration, our method actually measures enzyme activity. We are just now starting to take advantage of this capability by using our assays to help screen chemical libraries for new drug candidates. In the course of this Follow-on fund project, we will address some of the practical questions involved in the transition from benchtop to bedside. In particular, we will look at scalability, manufacturing and storage and determine the commercial landscape and route forwards. These are concerns that are typically not addressed at the level of fundamental research but are important for the creation of a practical product. At the conclusion of this work, we will be in a strong position to immediately commercialise this technology, bringing its benefits to the broader healthcare market.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Organisation Website:	http://www.imperial.ac.uk