Microsphere Coatings for Protein Arrays

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This SBIR project is designed to develop a versatile and cost-effective coating technology for surfaces used in microarray devices, especially for proteomic and genomic analyses. The "virtual well" strip, slide or plate array will be developed with new multifunctional photoactivatible crosslinking reagents for covalent thin film immobilization of micro- and nano-particles. The hydrophilic microparticles will form immobilized biomolecule assay sites and the hydrophobic nanoparticles will form "superhydrophobic" nanotextured surface separating the "virtual well" assay sites. The Phase II work is expected to develop a dense array capability utilizing self-encoded microparticles to provide multianalyte assay capability in each site or "address" of a microarray, with confidence of at least one million analyte capability on microscope slide array. Specific aims of this Phase I proposal include: 1) reproducible and cost-effective synthesis of a new class of oligofunctional photoreactive crosslinking reagents and their utility in immobilizing microparticles with covalent thin film generation on array support surfaces; 2) preparation of "virtual well" arrays via patterned immobilization of hydrophilic microparticles in assay sites separated by "superhydrophobic" nanotextured surfaces; and 3) demonstrate superior characteristics of proteomic arrays formed with immobilized microparticles vs flat surfaces. This proposed work is expected to generate new microarray coating technology which will provide significant improvements in analyte capacity (number) per chip, analyte assay sensitivity, and ease of sample application. The Phase I project will produce a new class of photoreactive film-forming reagents useful for coating a large variety of diagnostic and implantable medical devices, including the generation of superhydrophobic nanotextured surfaces for a variety of medical, diagnostic and electronic industry applications. The benefit of this proposed project to public health would be less expensive and more accurate microarrays for genetic and proteomic analysis. As genetic testing increases and more specific genetic predispositions to drug interactions are understood, the testing will need to be cheaper and more reliable. Additionally, the improved microarrays will benefit researchers studying protein-protein interactions which may ultimately greatly aid in disease management.