New York University

Polytechnic University

Bin Yu

Kalle M Levon

Yanxiu Zhou

Sensors suitable for the sensing/detection of biological or chemical agents may be fabricated by immobilizing biological and/or chemical recognition components (selectors or probes) on a substrate by the polymerization of a suitable monomer in the presence of the selectors or probes, for example, by Polysiloxane Monolayer Immobilization (PMI). PMI may involve the polymerization of polysiloxane onto a substrate, onto which selector molecules are adsorbed or otherwise immobilized. The resulting immobilized selector molecule may then be used to interact with specific molecules (targets) within a mixture of molecules, thereby enabling those specific molecules to be detected and/or quantified.

Biosensor and method of making same

A real-time method employing a portable peptide-containing potentiometric biosensor, can directly detect and/or quantify bacterial spores. Two peptides for specific recognition ofandSterne may be immobilized by a polysiloxane monolayer immobilization (PMI) technique. The sensors translate the biological recognition event into a potential change by detecting, for example,spores in a concentration range of 0.08-7.3&#xd7;10CFU/ml. The sensing method exhibited highly selective recognition properties towardsspores over other kinds of spores. The selectivity coefficients of the sensors for other kinds of spores are in the range of 0-1.0&#xd7;10. The biosensor method not only has the specificity to distinguishspores in a mixture ofand(.) Kurstaki spores, but also can discriminate between live and deadspores. Furthermore, the sensing method can distinguish aAfrom otherstrain. Assay time may be as low as about 5 minutes for a single test. Rapid identification ofSterne and&#x394;Ames was also provided.

Methods for detecting and/or quantifying a concentration of specific bacterial molecules using bacterial biosensors

Ionic interactions are monitored to detect hybridization. The measurement may be done measuring the potential change in the solution with the ion sensitive electrode (which may be the conducting polymer (e.g., polyaniline) itself), without applying any external energy during the binding. The double helix formation during the complimentary hybridization makes this electrode act as an ion selective electrode&#x2014;the nucleotide hydrogen bonding is specific and thus monitoring the ionic phosphate group addition becomes selective. Polyaniline on the surface of nylon film forms a positively charged polymer film. Thiol linkage can be utilized for polyaniline modification and thiol-modified single strand oligonucleotide chains can be added to polyaniline. The sensitivity is because the double helix formation during the complimentary hybridization makes this electrode act as an ion selective electrode as the nucleotide hydrogen bonding is specific and thus monitoring the ionic phosphate group addition becomes selective.

Ionic based sensing for identifying genomic sequence variations and detecting mismatch base pairs, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms

Enantiomeric resolution is realized by combining an electrochemical method with ligand exchange (LE) in a novel electrochemical method named chiral ligand exchange potentiometry. Chiral selector ligands preferentially recognize certain enantiomers and undergo ligand exchange with the enantiomeric labile coordination complexes to form diastereoisomeric complexes. These complexes can form in solution and be recognized by an unmodified electrode, or they can be immobilized on the surface of a modified electrode (chiral sensor) incorporated with the chiral selector ligand by polysiloxane monolayer immobilization (PMI). Considerable stereoselectivity occurs in the formation of these diastereoisomeric complexes, and their net charges (Nernst factors) are different, thus enabling enantiomers to be distinguished by potentiometric electrodes without any pre-separation processes.

Growing community of inventors

West Hardford, CT, United States of America

Bin Yu