Single Nanoparticle SPR Imaging and Nanostructured Interfaces for Ultrasensitive Biosensing

在这个由化学部门化学测量和成像项目资助的项目中，加州大学欧文分校的Robert Corn教授和他的研究小组正在开发一种新型光学传感器，用于同时检测极低浓度的多种DNA、RNA和蛋白质分子，可用于癌症、心脏病发作和其他疾病的早期识别和诊断。开发可用于早期疾病检测、患者状态监测和DNA诊断的低成本、易于使用的生物传感器已被确定为改善一般人口健康，特别是目前无法获得卫生保健的人的健康至关重要。此外，该项目中创建的一些新型材料和亚微观表面结构表现出与生物系统相似的特殊光学和润湿特性；潜在地，这些“受生物启发”的表面可以用来在大面积上制造廉价的抗反射和自清洁表面。该项目正在进行两项主要的研究工作：(i)通过近红外表面等离子共振显微镜检测单个生物功能纳米颗粒的超灵敏生物传感；（ii）具有独特等离子体、光学和表面特性的金纳米片、纳米线和纳米锥有序阵列的制造和应用。在这两个项目中开发的生物传感方法将结合各种生物分子功能化和表面酶检测化学之前为平面界面开发的。除了生物传感应用外，将开发用于近红外光学超材料和仿生界面的新型纳米结构界面，包括宽带抗反射、超疏水和杀菌表面。这项工作的更广泛影响包括：（一）发展超灵敏的多路检测飞摩尔浓度的癌症、心脏和其他疾病生物标志物的潜在社会效益，以及开发具有独特光学和化学性质的低成本纳米结构表面；（二）培训具有酶生物分析综合背景的学生；表面生物材料和表面光谱学是现代生物技术和下一代DNA测序公司工作所必需的；（iii）使本科生了解早期检测诊断的重要性，以及从事科学研究和生物技术职业的可能性。

In this project funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Robert Corn and his research group at the University of California, Irvine are developing novel optical sensors for the simultaneous detection of multiple DNA, RNA and protein molecules at extremely low concentrations that can be used for the early identification and diagnosis of cancers, heart attacks, and other diseases. The development of low-cost, easy-to-use biosensors that can be used for early disease detection, patient status monitoring, and DNA diagnostics has been identified as essential for the improvement of the health of the general population, especially for those who currently do not have access to health care. Additionally, some of the novel materials and sub-microscopic surface structures created in this project exhibit special optical and wetting properties that are similar to those found in biological systems; potentially, these "bio-inspired" surfaces can be used to create inexpensive anti-reflective and self-cleaning surfaces over large areas. Two major research efforts are being undertaken in this project: (i) ultrasensitive biosensing via the detection of single biofunctionalized nanoparticles with near infrared surface plasmon resonance microscopy and (ii) the fabrication and application of ordered arrays of gold nanorings, nanowires and nanocones with unique plasmonic, optical and surface properties. The biosensing methods developed in these two projects will incorporate a variety of biomolecular functionalization and surface enzymatic detection chemistries developed previously for planar interfaces. In addition to biosensing applications, novel nanostructured interfaces for applications in near infrared optical metamaterials and biomimetic interfaces including broadband anti-reflective, super hydrophobic and bactericidal surfaces will be developed. The broader impacts of this work include: (i) potential societal benefits from the development of ultra-sensitive multiplexed detection of cancer, cardiac and other disease biomarkers at femtomolar concentrations, and also the development of low cost nanostructured surfaces with unique optical and chemical properties, (ii) the training of students with combined backgrounds in enzymatic bioanalysis, surface biomaterials and surface spectroscopy requisite for jobs in modern biotechnological and next-gen DNA sequencing companies and (iii) the exposure of undergraduates both to the importance of early detection diagnostics and also to possibility of careers in scientific research and biotechnology.