Method for quantifying biomolecules conjugated to a nanoparticle

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments concern quantifying a biomolecule conjugated to a nanoparticle. Quantifying typically comprises determining the number of biomolecules per nanoparticle. Any suitable biomolecule can be used, including but not limited to, amino acids, peptides, proteins, haptens, nucleic acids, oligonucleotides, DNA, RNA, and combinations thereof. A single type of biomolecule may be conjugated to the nanoparticle, more than one biomolecule of a particular class may be conjugated to the nanoparticle, or two or more classes of biomolecules may be conjugated to the nanoparticle. Certain disclosed embodiments comprise enzymatically or chemically digesting a biomolecule conjugated to the nanoparticle, or displacing a biomolecule using ligand-exchange chemistry. Where biomolecule concentrations are determined, any technique suitable for determining biomolecule concentration can be used, such as spectrophotometric techniques, including measuring tryptophan fluorescence and using a standard fluorescence intensity versus biomolecule concentration curve.