# NanoSMS: single molecule secretome analysis for non-destructive cellular fingerprinting

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE · 2023 · $346,911

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Over the next 5 years, NanoSMS will be developed into a technology which offers the first look
into the single cell secretome; with single molecule sensitivity. The development of this new
technology is based on the integration of single cell encapsulation technologies with nanopore-
based single molecule sensing. The collection of molecules released into the extracellular
environment by single cells, termed the single cell secretome, offers a unique glimpse into the
complexities of cellular life and cell-to-cell communication. The key features of the technology
which will be developed at the end of the project period include (1) a massively parallel way to
form droplets adhered onto a glass slide and containing a single cell, and (2) a nanopore-based
approach for measuring secreted molecule originating from a single cell. Once the nanopores and
related methodologies are developed, we aim to answer four key questions surrounding important
biomedical issues. First, the nanopore will quantify single cell antibody production originating
from human plasma cells which have been isolated from patients in various disease states
including auto-immune disorders. Second, B cells and T cells will be co-incubated and stimulated
with a single antigen to induce an immune response. The time lag to start generating antibodies
as well as the factors which influence the timing of the immune response will be studied. Third,
eosinophils co-incubated with a single cancer cell (or cancer-derived vesicles) will be investigated
to provide insight into early cancer recognition mechanisms. Lastly, single cell secretome
fingerprinting will be used to access the ability to discriminate between stem cell lineages in a
non-destructive manner. Stem cell characterization is important for cell therapy (in which the
mechanism of action is secreted molecules) as well as assessing cell state for regenerative
medicine. Needless to say, the secretome plays a functional and yet obscured role in both normal
and diseased cellular states. The application of NanoSMS (a nanopore-based approach towards
secretome analysis) will provide a unique and new tool for single cell characterization.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10713935
- **Project number:** 1R35GM151115-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin Freedman
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $346,911
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10713935

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10713935, NanoSMS: single molecule secretome analysis for non-destructive cellular fingerprinting (1R35GM151115-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10713935. Licensed CC0.

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