Small organometallic probes

Abstract

Small organometallic probes comprise a core of metal atoms bonded to organic moieties. The metal atoms are gold, silver, platinum, palladium, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, a multifunctional organometallic probe comprises a core of metal atoms surrounded by a shell of organic moieties covalently attached to the metal atoms, a fluorescent molecule, e.g., fluorescein, covalently attached to one of the organic moieties, and a targeting molecule, e.g., an antibody, covalently attached to another of the organic moieties.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 093,770, filed Mar. 8, 2002; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09 / 619,343, filed Jul. 19, 2000 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,206; which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09 / 039,601, filed Mar. 16, 1998 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,425; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08 / 652,007, filed May 23, 1996 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,590; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08 / 282,929, filed Jul. 29, 1994 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,289.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention is directed to small organometallic probes, processes for making the small organometallic probes, and applications of the small organometallic probes. In particular, the small organometallic probes of the present invention are generally less than two microns (2 μm) across, and compri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a cluster complex or colloid that includes metal core particles and probe molecules covalently attached to the core particles. The probe molecules can be covalently bonded to the core particles through a specific reaction. The cluster complex or colloid can also include fluorescently labeled molecules covalently attached to the core particles. The cluster complex or colloid can be used to target or endow the particles with specific properties. The method for detecting a substance involves mixing a sample with the cluster complex or colloid and detecting the substance using various techniques such as piezoelectric crystal mass measuring device, reflected light detection, light microscopy, fluorescent microscopy, confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, or visualizing the localization or distribution of the substance within cells, tissue sections, organelles, or organs using both light and electron microscopy. The invention has various applications such as in drug development, biological research, and medical diagnosis."

Problems solved by technology

This leads to free antibody which competes for antigen sites and lowers targeting of gold.

Furthermore, the shelf life of the conjugates is compromised by this problem.

Accessibility of the probes to internal cell structures, e.g., nuclear proteins, or to cells deeper in a tissue sample, is impeded by these properties.

The sensitivity of these detection schemes is again degraded by problems of aggregation, detachment of antibodies from the gold, and problems with shelf life.

Although the preparation and properties vary for these metal cluster compounds having organic shells, many of these can only be synthesized in low yields, derivatization for use in coupling to biomolecules is expensive in time and effort, and again in low yields, and many of the cluster compounds are degraded rapidly by heat or various chemical reagents.

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