Single-biomolecule detector array based on nanomagnetically stabilized magnetoresistive sensors

这项由生物传感/CBET项目资助的NSF奖项支持了休斯顿大学的Dmitri Litvinov和Richard wilson以及卫理公会医院研究所的Chung-Che Chang教授旨在展示一种新型生物传感器平台，该平台能够在单分子水平上对DNA、RNA、蛋白质、抗体或病原体等生物分子试剂具有前所未有的高灵敏度，为诊断和生物学研究开辟了新的机会。该技术利用纳米磁传感器技术的巨大进步，为我们带来了用于数据存储的大容量磁性硬盘。该研究的智力价值在于展示了仅对一种或几种生物分子物种进行检测和建立生物测量的能力，从而通过多重相互作用的复杂性提高了数据质量和可靠性。这种变革性的结果是通过使用专门的纳米磁稳定环形传感器几何结构来实现优越的功能（单分子灵敏度、大规模阵列性、连续数据、低成本）。磁性报告标记可以作为完全集成分析的基础，从磁性亲和力捕获和从稀释或复杂样品基质中洗涤分析物目标，到具有无与伦比的灵敏度的检测，再到磁性拉脱力严格性以减少假阳性和最大特异性。这项研究将显著推动一种新的普遍适用的生物传感器技术，能够对宏基因组学、基因组学、蛋白质组学、分子诊断和细胞生物学产生变革性影响。该传感器平台具有极高的灵敏度和特异性检测能力，可能会在整个生物研究和生化技术中得到非常广泛的应用。潜在的应用包括医疗诊断、食品安全应用中的病原体检测、防假阳性生物威胁检测、快速药物筛选等。这项研究还将产生重大的社会影响，因为休斯顿大学是博士学位授予机构中种族最多样化的学生群体。我们的大部分研究生都来自这个多元化的学生群体。此外，该项目将与休斯顿大学现有的REU、RET、GRADE和GK-12项目密切互动，以加强对代表性不足群体的招募。该项目还将为本科生顶点设计项目提供研究项目。此外，在本课程中获得的知识将通过休斯敦大学Cullen工程学院的纳米工程辅修课程进行传播。

0932971LitvinovThis NSF award by the Biosensing/CBET program supports the research led by Profs. Dmitri Litvinov and Richard Willson at the University of Houston and by Prof. Chung-Che Chang at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute aimed at demonstrating a novel biosensor platform capable of unprecedentedly high sensitivity, potentially at a single-molecule level, to biomolecular agents such as DNA, RNA, proteins, antibodies, or pathogens, opening new opportunities in diagnosis and in biological research. The technology leverages dramatic advancements in nanomagnetic sensor technology that have brought us high-capacity magnetic hard-drives for data storage. The intellectual merit of the research is to demonstrate the ability to detect and base biological measurements on only one or a few biomolecular species, thus improving data quality and reliability by the complexity of multiple interactions. This transformative outcome is enabled by the use of a specialized nanomagnetically stabilized ring-sensor geometry to enable superior functionality (single molecule sensitivity, massive arrayability, continuous data, low cost). Magnetic reporter labels can serve as the basis of fully-integrated assays spanning from magnetic affinity capture and washing of analyte targets from dilute or complex sample matrices, to detection with unparalleled sensitivity, to magnetic pull-off force stringency for false positive reduction and maximal specificity.This research will significantly advance a new kind of generally-applicable biosensor technology capable of transformative impact in metagenomics, genomics, proteomics, molecular diagnostics, and cell biology. The sensor platform's capacity for extremely sensitive and specific detection will likely find very broad applications throughout biological research and biochemical technology. Potential applications include medical diagnostics, pathogen detection in food safety application, false-positive-proof biothreat detection, rapid drug screening, and others. The research will also have a significant societal impact as the University of Houston serves the most ethnically diverse student body among doctoral-degree-granting institutions. It is from this diverse student body we draw the bulk of our graduate students. Furthermore, the program will closely interact with the existing REU, RET, GRADE, and GK-12 programs at the University of Houston to enhance the recruitment of underrepresented groups. The program will also provide research projects for the undergraduate Capstone Design program. Moreover, the knowledge gained over the course of this program will be disseminated through the Nanoengineering Minor at the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston.