USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Mark S Spector

Joel M Schnur

Brett D Martin

David A Stenger

Ronald R Price

Paul T Charles

Charles H Patterson, Jr

Banahalli R Ratna

Paul E Schoen

Dan Zabetakis

The use of sugar-containing hydrogels as very highly porous, aqueous support material for the immobilization of oligonucleotides, peptides, proteins, antigens, antibodies, polysaccharides, and other biomolecules for sensor applications. Unusually large sizes of interconnected pores allow large target molecules to pass rapidly into and through the gel and bind to immobilized biomolecules. Sugar-containing hydrogels have extremely low non-specific absorption of labeled target molecules, providing low background levels. Some hydrogel materials do not have this type of homogeneous interconnected macroporosity, thus large target molecules cannot readily diffuse through them. Additionally, they nearly always experience non-specific absorption of labeled target molecules, limiting their usefulness in sensor applications. A method is provided for preparing sugar polyacrylate hydrogels with functional chemical groups which covalently bond oligonucleotides and peptides. A method for copolymerizing acrylate-terminated oligonucleotides with sugar acrylate monomers and diacrylate cross-linking agents is also provided.

Immobilization of oligonucleotides and proteins in sugar-containing hydrogels

Sugar-containing hydrogel for immobilization

The wall thickness of lipid microtubules are controlled by selecting a methanol/water system and determining the required amount of a lipid to form the desired wall thickness. The lipid is dissolved in a small portion of the heated methanol and that clear solution is added to the remaining amount of the heated methanol/water system. By slowly cooling the solution, microtubules are formed which have the desired wall thickness. Preferred microtubules have a wall thickness of just 2 bilayers and they are robust so they can be further coated. They can be made with a large aspect ratio and with lengths of greater than 250 microns. The process permits production of microtubules in very high yields.

Processing methodology for the rational control of bilayer numbers leading to high efficiency production of lipid microtubules

Lipid microtubules having a controlled bilayer structure and high aspect io are formed in a methanol/ethanol/water solvent system. The lipid microtubules may then be catalyzed (e.g., with a palladium/tin catalyst) in an acidified catalytic bath having no more than about 30 g of catalytic salts. These catalyzed microtubules are then metallized using a diluted plating bath with replenishment of the plating bath as needed to obtain the desired metallization thickness.

Process for the formation of high aspect ratio lipid microtubules

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Springfield, VA, United States of America

Mark S Spector