@article {Kasili:December 2005:1533-4880:2057,
	author = "Kasili, Paul M.",
	author = "Vo-Dinh, Tuan",
	title = "Optical Nanobiosensor for Monitoring an Apoptotic Signaling Process in a Single Living Cell Following Photodynamic Therapy",
	journal = "Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology",
	volume = "5",
	year = "December 2005",
	abstract = "Optical nanobiosensors have enabled bioanalytical measurements to be undertaken within volumes as small as that of single biological cells. In this work, we use nanobiosensors to monitor a molecular signaling process, i.e., caspase-7 activation, following photodynamic therapy (PDT) induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). PDT induces the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis which triggers cytochrome <I>c</I> release, activation of caspases-9, -8 and -7 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (Parp) protein. Caspase-7 is an important apoptosis-related cysteine protease involved in the activation cascade of caspases and in the proteolytic cleavage of Parp protein. Caspase-7 was detected and identified intracellularly using optical nanobiosensors. Our results show the detection of caspase-7 in single living MCF-cells which in essence typifies the apoptotic event induced by a PDT drug. This work, in principle, demonstrates the minimally invasive capability of optical nanobiosensors to measure important signaling molecules and events in pathways at the single cell level.",
	pages = "2057-2062(6)",
	url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asp/jnn/2005/00000005/00000012/art00013"
	doi = "doi:10.1166/jnn.2005.426"
}