Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Jugal Gupta

Nicholas Lawrence Abbott

Christopher John Murphy

I-Hsin Lin

Francesco Caruso

Sri Sivakumar

Devices and methods for using changes in the defects in micrometer sized dispersed liquid crystal domains to detect or quantify analytes in a test sample, including endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are disclosed. The dispersed liquid crystal microdomains are exposed to the test sample, and any changes in the number of defects in the liquid crystal microdomains are detected by detecting changes in the anchoring configuration of the microdomains. Such changes in anchoring configuration indicate the presence of analyte in the test sample.

Analyte detection using liquid crystals

The invention provides oil emulsion droplets and a general and facile method for providing same through the use of templating multilayer capsules. The oil emulsion droplets are further useful in fabricating liquid crystal droplet-based biosensors for the detection of target analytes such as bacteria or viruses in a sample.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Jugal Gupta