Study of prostate cancer biomarkers by aptameric sensors

• Grant number: 16/25749-2
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal researcher: Gustavo Rocha de Castro
• Grantee: Bruno Pereira Crulhas
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/16587-4 - Development of microfluidic cell cultures and Aptamer-based biosensors for monitoring drug responses of pancreatic cancer, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The prostate cancer is a worldwide disease with high mortality rate and traditional methods for diagnosis and monitoring are performed through invasive techniques. Currently, the advance of research in medical and biomedical engineering allowed the use of molecular tools combined with nanotechnology to develop portable biosensors specific for major biomarkers to diagnostic, monitoring and treatment of several diseases. More specifically, the cellular responses to biological, chemical or physical stimuli can be evaluated in microfluidic devices using electrochemical techniques. The objective of this project is the development of integrated biosensors to study different cell biomarkers released by prostate cancer cells, as: free prostatic specific antigen (fPSA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mucin (MUC1), hexokinase type 2 (hK2), prostatic specific membrane antigen (PSMA), androgen receptor (AR) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and moreover, evaluate metabolic activity combined with drug delivery systems in a device where the cellular microenvironment can be precisely defined offering new insights into the molecular metabolism events and for clinical analysis patients with prostate cancer.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CRULHAS, BRUNO P.; BASSO, CAROLINE R.; PARRA, JOAO P. R. L. L.; CASTRO, GUSTAVO R.; PEDROSA, VALBER A. Reduced Graphene Oxide Decorated with AuNPs as a New Aptamer-Based Biosensor for the Detection of Androgen Receptor from Prostate Cells. JOURNAL OF SENSORS, 2019. Web of Science Citations: 1.

PARRA, JOAO P. R. L. L.; CRULHAS, BRUNO P.; BASSO, CAROLINE R.; DELELLA, FLAVIA K.; CASTRO, GUSTAVO R.; PEDROSA, VALBER A. Using an Electrochemical Aptasensor to Early Detect Prostate Specific and Free Prostate Specific Antigens Released by Cancer Cells. Electroanalysis, v. 30, n. 12, p. 2869-2877, DEC 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.