SUBMICRON CHEMICAL SENSORS FOR INTRACELLULAR APPLICATION

POC提出开发一类新的亚微观化学传感器， 用于细胞生理学的研究。这些传感器可以 具有远小于1微摩尔的特征尺寸， 用于监测离子浓度、酶水平、药物浓度、 浓度，以及各种其他细胞内化学物质 属性，相对容易的研究人员。拟议 方法，化学敏感的指示剂是固定的， 在细锥形光纤尖端的光聚合类似于 近场扫描光学显微镜（NSOM）该技术 因此，联合收割机可以将NSOM的超细分辨率与灵敏度结合起来 和特异性。这些传感器将 提供显著的优势，包括更快的响应时间， 最小化细胞损伤，超过现有的生理微传感器。 在项目的第一阶段，POC证明了这一点的实用性。 通过制造和测试能够测量 细胞内pH、钙离子浓度、钠离子浓度，以及 钾离子浓度第二阶段将开发一个 一个紧凑的系统，能够作为商业生产线的基础， 亚显微传感产品，以及新的传感器尖端的开发 化学物质，以提高可制造性和性能 提示，并增加分析物的数量和类型， 测定了 拟议的商业应用：这些传感器将应用于 像基本细胞神经生理学和单个细胞神经生理学这样完全不同的领域， 细胞药物测试从设计用于学术的产品开始 国家研究实验室、近场技术商业化 光学传感器可能最终导致它们在制药领域的应用。 测试，生物技术开发和过程控制，甚至医疗 诊断和病理。

POC proposes to develop a new class of submicroscopic chemical sensors for use in the investigation of cellular physiology. These sensors, which can have characteristic dimensions much smaller than 1 micromole, have the potential for monitoring ionic concentrations, enzyme levels, drug concentrations, and a wide variety of other intracellular chemical properties, with relative ease to the researcher. In the proposed approach, chemically sensitive indicators are immobilized by photopolymerization at the tip of finely tapered optical fibers similar to those used in Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM). The technique could thus combine the ultrafine resolution of NSOM with the sensitivity and specificity of active fiber optic chemical sensors. These sensors will offer significant advantages, including faster response time and minimization of cellular damage, over existing physiological microsensors. During Phase I of the project, POC demonstrated the practicality of this technique by fabricating and testing sensors capable of measuring intracellular pH, calcium ion concentration, sodium ion concentration, and potassium ion concentration. Phase II will see the development of a compact system capable of serving as the basis for a line of commercial submicroscopic sensing products, as well as development of new sensor-tip chemistries both to improve the manufacturability and performance of the tips and to increase the number and types of analytes that can be measured. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: These sensors will find applications in fields as disparate as fundamental cellular neurophysiology and single- cell drug testing. Beginning with products designed for use in academic and National research laboratories, commercialization of near field optical sensors could ultimately lead to their use in pharmaceutical testing, biotechnology development and process control, and even medical diagnosis and pathology.