Nanoparticles

MeBioS Biosensors: Nanoparticles Research

Nanoparticles (NP) are spheres, cubes, tubes, ... with diameters ranging from 1 up to a few hundred nanometer. They can be made out of gold, silver, semiconductors, silica, ... Combinations of these different properties allow the construction of infinite types of NP. On the surface of these NP any type of molecule, like DNA, proteins, fluorescent molecules, catalysts, ... , can be immobilized. Silica NP are easy to use and have well-known properties.

NP can be used as biocompatible transducers, used for a biosensor, that are homogeneously dissolved throughout a sample. With the use of basic immobilization methods, like EDC/NHS, a precise number of biomolecules, like aptamers or antibodies, can be coupled to the NP. In the NP a magnetic or fluorescent functionality is integrated, enabling traceability of reactions in its environment or using the nanoparticles to enrich a sample. 

 

A recent trend in biosensor research is the integration of the biosensing mechanism on a chip. Lab-on-a-chip technology refers to the implementation, miniaturization and automation of laboratory bench-top manipulations on a microchip. It allows conducting cheap and sensitive analysis in a high-throughput context. Special attention will be paid to the principle of nanoparticle aggregation within the microchannels in combination with aptamer biorecognition elements. The aggregation formation is a generic principle, easily adaptable to a countless number of applications depending solely on the aptamer selection limits.

Used techniques to quantify the amount of DNA immobilized or hybridized on a NP are microtiterplate fluorescence measurements, AES, single molecule confocal microscopy and total internal reflection microscopy.