Near-infrared long lifetime upconversion nanoparticles for ultrasensitive microRNA detection via time-gated luminescence resonance energy transfer
Upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) biosensing offers advantages such as wash-free detection and precise biomolecule quantification. However, its sensitivity remains limited due to continuous energy transfer in co-doped UCNPs during LRET. Here we present a time-gated LRET strategy using near-infrared (NIR) long-lived luminescent UCNP donors (L-TG-LRET), achieving an 8-fold increase in luminescence lifetime without compromising emission intensity. This prolonged energy migration and transfer pathway significantly enhances sensitivity by preventing rapid Tm<sup>3+</sup> reactivation during LRET to IRDye800 acceptors. Applying this approach to microRNA (miRNA) detection, we achieve a 17.9-fold higher sensitivity than conventional steady-state methods. Furthermore, the L-TG-LRET successfully quantifies miRNA expression in cancer cells, plasma, and exosomes, enabling the differentiation of cancer patients from healthy donors. Notably, this approach outperforms polymerase chain reaction in detecting low-abundance exosomal miRNAs. These results highlight the potential of L-TG-LRET system as a valuable tool for sensitive biomolecular detection in clinical diagnostics.
Authors
- Yeonkyung Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1608-394X)
- Eun‐Kyung Lim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2793-3700)
- Juyeon Jung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1969-321X)
- Dongkyu Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5456-5651)
- Byeong‐Ho Jeong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3124-1718)
- Seong-Je Kim
- Joonseok Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9551-6402)
- Hyowon Jang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5129-6719)
- Taejoon Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5387-6458)
- Suyeon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-0788)
- Min‐Young Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3396-7632)
- Hansol Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9361-1289)
- Jiwoo Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7827-8294)
- Yuree Byun
Institutions
- Genome Research Foundation (KR)
- Samsung Medical Center (KR)
- Korea Institute of Materials Science (KR)
- Gyeonggi Research Institute (KR)
- Hanyang University (KR)
- Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KR)
- Korea University of Science and Technology (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-08-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62802-x
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.18
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Ajou University
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
- Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
- Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology
- Korea Basic Science Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
- Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology