Nanoparticle-Bridge DNA Sensor for Electrical Detection of Ultra-Low Concentrations of DNA Molecules

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Proposal 0925997PI: Seong Jin KohThe University of Texas at ArlingtonIntellectual Merit:This project will investigate a new DNA sensing method which is capable of detecting ultra-low concentrations of DNA molecules without any amplification. Importantly, its sensor output will be a direct electrical signal, without using any transducers, which has numerous benefits including compactness, portability, facile integration with other systems, multiplex sensing, and low cost. The key components of the proposed DNA sensor are 1) DNA hybridization is carried out exclusively on the surface of nanoparticles (~50 nm in diameter), 2) the presence of target DNA (to-be-detected DNA) molecules leads to the formation of nanoparticle-DNA-nanoparticle conjugates, and 3) the nanoparticle-DNA-nanoparticle conjugates are detected using simple I-V measurements. This approach allows the detection of extremely small concentrations of DNA molecules since, in principle, the formation of even a single nanoparticle-DNA-nanoparticle conjugate can lead to a current flow across electrodes. The high sensitivity of the proposed DNA sensing method could play a significant role in advancing biomedical science/technology, such as disease diagnosis and medicine development, as well as protecting our citizens and soldiers from biological threats/attacks. Broader Impacts:The broader impacts of this project lie in the educational and outreach programs that will be integrated with its research component. Student training is one of the important parts of the educational program. By performing the proposed research, students will be extensively trained as competitive scientists and engineers. This will occur through their designing the experiments, training on cutting-edge experimental tools, obtaining deep and broad knowledge of the field through extensive literature search and reading, discussing the experimental results with the PI and colleagues, and presenting their findings in international conferences and peer-reviewed journals. The other important educational component is in the classroom. The course MSE5351 (Current Topics in Nanotechnology) will provide students in-depth knowledge of recent important advancements in the field of nanotechnology. This will be done through PI's lecturing on key concepts and techniques in nanoscale science and technology and also students' reading of important landmark publications and discussing them in the class. In addition, this class will provide several experimental modules which will take place in the form of demonstrating key experimental steps and/or carrying out hands-on experiments. Importantly, the resulting findings from the proposed research will be incorporated into the experimental modules. This program will also run outreach programs by providing science camps for K-12 students and teachers. In particular, one of the camps will be targeted for elementary students in their 4th or 5th grades. By focusing on young ages, this camp aims to expose young minds to the exciting and fun world of science and technology and to inspire them to pursue careers in science and technology, ultimately contributing to preparing for our nation's superiority in science and technology in generations to come.