586
A. Vinothkanna and S. Sekar
24.1 Introduction
Diagnosis denotes the act of distinguishing or discerning among possibilities. Though
it is commonly used in conjunction with medical, it rather includes non-medical problems too. It broadly refers to the examination of root causes for any problem and aimed
to promote remedial measures. The major aspect of diagnosis is on the identification
of or nature of an illness by examination of certain root causes or biomolecular signatures associated with the disease. The brilliantly colored proteinaceous pigments from
algal kingdom, namely phycobiliproteins (PBPs) have fine application as a component of diagnostics in terms of aiding investigation as fluorescent detection moieties
in medical, cellular, biological, and non-medical fields. In medical diagnosis, the
application further extends to the development of “prognosis” and “theranostic”
aids representing prediction of diseases and synchronizing diagnosis with treatment,
respectively. Though the research literature on diagnostic applications of PBPs is
limited, there are extensive activities of patenting and commercial ventures. Hence
review of research will be merely indicative of certain diagnostic applications but
may not be comprehensive in revealing the depth of understanding that exists in this
field. To avoid this vacuum, this chapter presents the pile of information from strategic
patent mining incorporating research articles and ongoing commercial activities in
the field of diagnostic applications of PBPs. The patent analysis was carried out from
data retrieved from public databases of global nature using a wide range of general,
specific, and combination of keywords of this domain. The body of information from
relevant patents coupled with literature was segregated into various categories.
24.2 Kinds of Diagnostics Developed Using PBPs
as Fluorophores/Fluorochromes/Fluorescent
Probes/Fluorescent Detection Labels/Fluorescent
Markers/Detection System
Analysis of research literature and patents revealed the extensive use of PBPs as
a fluorescent detection system in diverse fields of diagnosis. It is widely used in
the diagnosis of various human ailments. For example, diagnosis of an array of
human metabolic disorders/syndromes, infectious diseases, cancers, and immune
disorders. Additionally, they are used in the prognosis of a few human diseases and
also in human cancer theranostics. Similarly, diagnosis of human cell components,
lineages, and cell subsets were also performed using PBPs. Their application is
also extended to the diagnosis of many infectious diseases in birds and mammals
which may pose a health risk to human beings. These pigments also find application
in various biological diagnostic investigations involving proteins, genomics, plant
transformants, microbial detection, food and environmental aspects. Finally, a pile
of information and knowledge is available over the development of methods of using
PBPs as a detection system exploiting their fluorescent behavior.
A. Vinothkanna and S. Sekar
24.1 Introduction
Diagnosis denotes the act of distinguishing or discerning among possibilities. Though
it is commonly used in conjunction with medical, it rather includes non-medical problems too. It broadly refers to the examination of root causes for any problem and aimed
to promote remedial measures. The major aspect of diagnosis is on the identification
of or nature of an illness by examination of certain root causes or biomolecular signatures associated with the disease. The brilliantly colored proteinaceous pigments from
algal kingdom, namely phycobiliproteins (PBPs) have fine application as a component of diagnostics in terms of aiding investigation as fluorescent detection moieties
in medical, cellular, biological, and non-medical fields. In medical diagnosis, the
application further extends to the development of “prognosis” and “theranostic”
aids representing prediction of diseases and synchronizing diagnosis with treatment,
respectively. Though the research literature on diagnostic applications of PBPs is
limited, there are extensive activities of patenting and commercial ventures. Hence
review of research will be merely indicative of certain diagnostic applications but
may not be comprehensive in revealing the depth of understanding that exists in this
field. To avoid this vacuum, this chapter presents the pile of information from strategic
patent mining incorporating research articles and ongoing commercial activities in
the field of diagnostic applications of PBPs. The patent analysis was carried out from
data retrieved from public databases of global nature using a wide range of general,
specific, and combination of keywords of this domain. The body of information from
relevant patents coupled with literature was segregated into various categories.
24.2 Kinds of Diagnostics Developed Using PBPs
as Fluorophores/Fluorochromes/Fluorescent
Probes/Fluorescent Detection Labels/Fluorescent
Markers/Detection System
Analysis of research literature and patents revealed the extensive use of PBPs as
a fluorescent detection system in diverse fields of diagnosis. It is widely used in
the diagnosis of various human ailments. For example, diagnosis of an array of
human metabolic disorders/syndromes, infectious diseases, cancers, and immune
disorders. Additionally, they are used in the prognosis of a few human diseases and
also in human cancer theranostics. Similarly, diagnosis of human cell components,
lineages, and cell subsets were also performed using PBPs. Their application is
also extended to the diagnosis of many infectious diseases in birds and mammals
which may pose a health risk to human beings. These pigments also find application
in various biological diagnostic investigations involving proteins, genomics, plant
transformants, microbial detection, food and environmental aspects. Finally, a pile
of information and knowledge is available over the development of methods of using
PBPs as a detection system exploiting their fluorescent behavior.