Robust surface enhanced Raman biosensor using a novel optofluidic platform technology

1133512代码该NSF奖由生物传感/CBET计划资助，支持德克萨斯农工大学的Coté和Kameoka教授开发一种变革性的基于光流体的平台技术，用作护理点(POC)生物传感器。该技术平台将包括捕获在纳米流体通道入口处的功能化金胶纳米颗粒，通过消除寻找热点的需要，提供一种使用表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)在痕量水平上检测分析物的可靠手段。它们在许多其他用于SERS检测的粗糙金属表面方法中分布不均匀。光流控技术可推广到复杂生物介质中的任何生物标记物，但最初的应用将是心脏生物标记物的检测。拟议活动的智力优点：该建议响应了当前生物标记物检测的需求，即提高生物传感的稳健性、可重复性和灵敏度。更具体地说，我们将使用一种新的基于光流控的设备来生产和优化高度健壮和变革性的SERS信号增强技术。我们还将优化生物标志物检测的化学平台，最初的重点是心脏生物标志物(CKMB、肌红蛋白和肌钙蛋白)，以帮助诊断心肌梗死(MI)或心脏病发作。这些基础知识将开辟纳米级光流控传感的新领域。这种独特的正在申请专利的平台技术是由德克萨斯农工大学的生物医学工程和电气工程学院的研究人员构思出来的。这些研究人员与一位化学工程专家合作，特别是蛋白质生物传感。这个多学科团队有合作的历史，几篇合著的论文证明了这一点。拟议活动产生的更广泛影响：本提案中确定的活动促进发现一个新的生物传感平台，该平台建立在生物医学传感、纳米技术和功能化化学领域的多学科合作基础上。这项建议侧重于心脏生物标志物监测诊断心肌梗死的创新手段，因此具有巨大的社会效益以及商业和临床潜力。拟议的研究为在生物医学工程、电气工程、纳米技术、化学工程和生物传感的界面上开展创新的多学科研究提供了一个极好的机会。在这项资助的框架内培养的所有博士生都将有来自两个系的委员会成员，从而培养出接受并积极追求多学科方法的学生。除了个人培训之外，这些材料的一部分将以课程的形式教授给数百名学生。我们将利用这个机会教我们的博士生如何指导初级(即本科生)调查人员。将尽一切努力扩大代表性不足群体的参与。具体来说，本科生将与NSF？德克萨斯A&A；M LSAMP合作招聘。我们将通过参加墨西哥裔美国工程师和科学家协会、全国黑人工程师协会、西班牙裔专业工程师协会和女性工程师协会的全国会议来利用大学层面的资源。具体地说，这项提案将用于资助研究生，并将编写额外的REU补充资金，以资助本科生，目标是在现有的合作少数族裔服务大学招生。皮？S在吸纳不同的学生、在高质量的期刊上发表他们的成果、在会议上展示他们、在他们的网站上张贴、在大众媒体上宣传科学和工程以及向K-12小组提供实验室参观方面有着很强的历史，通常是由参与调查的人员提供的。最后，PI通过将发现转化为小公司和创办小公司，为创新生态系统做出贡献的历史由来已久。因此，作为我们培训学生的一部分，我们将让他们接触到创业企业的方方面面。

1133512CoteThis NSF Award funded by the Biosensing/CBET program supports the work of Professors Coté and Kameoka at Texas A&M University to develop a transformative optofluidic-based platform technology for use as a point-of-care (POC) biosensor. The technology platform would incorporate functionalized gold colloidal nanoparticles trapped at the entrance to a nanofluidic channel providing a robust means for analyte detection at trace levels using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) by eliminating the need to look for ?hot spots? which are nonuniformly distributed in many other roughened metal surface approaches to SERS detection. The optofluidic technology is generalizable to any biomarker in complex biological media but the initial application will be the detection of cardiac biomarkers.The intellectual merit of the proposed activity: This proposal responds to the current needs of biomarker detection, namely an improvement in the robustness, repeatability, and sensitivity of biosensing. More specifically, we will produce and optimize a highly robust and transformative SERS signal enhancement technology using a novel optofluidic-based device. We will also optimize the chemistry platform for biomarker detection with an initial focus on cardiac biomarkers (CKMB, myoglobin, and troponin) for aiding in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) or rather a heart attack. This basic knowledge will open up a new field of ?optofluidic sensing at the nanoscale?. This unique patent pending platform technology was conceived of by biomedical engineering and electrical engineering faculty researchers at Texas A&M University. These investigators collaborate with an expert in chemical engineering, specifically protein biosensing. This multidisciplinary team has a history of collaboration as evidenced by several co-authored papers. The broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity: The activities identified in this proposal promote discovery of a new biosensing platform that is based on multidisciplinary collaboration in the areas of biomedical sensing, nanotechnology, and functionalization chemistry. This proposal focuses on an innovative means of cardiac biomarker monitoring for diagnosis of myocardial infarction and thus has the potential for enormous benefit to society as well as commercial and clinical potential. The proposed research provides an excellent opportunity to carry out innovative multidisciplinary research at the interface of biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, nanotechnology, chemical engineering, and biosensing. All Ph.D. level students trained within the frame work of this grant will have committee members from both departments thereby training students who embrace and actively pursue a multidisciplinary approach. Beyond individual training, parts of this material will be taught in courses to hundreds of students. We will use this opportunity to teach our Ph.D. students how to mentor junior (i.e., undergraduate) investigators. Every effort will be made to broaden participation of underrepresented groups. Specifically, undergraduate students will be recruited in collaboration with the NSF?Texas A&M LSAMP. We will use college level resources by participating in faculty presentations at National Meetings of the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and Society of Women Engineers. Specifically, this proposal will be used to fund graduate students and additional REU supplements will be written to fund undergraduates, targeting recruitment at existing collaborating minority serving universities. The PI?s have a strong history of including diverse students and in publishing their results in high quality journals, presenting them at meetings, posting them on their web sites, promoting the science and engineering in the popular press, and providing lab tours, commonly given by participating investigators, to K-12 groups. Lastly, the PI has a long history of contributing to the innovation ecosystem by translating discoveries to small companies and starting small companies. Thus, as part of our training of students, we will expose them to all aspects of the entrepreneurial enterprise.