SUBMICRON CHEMICAL SENSORS FOR INTRACELLULAR APPLICATION

POC计划开发一种新型的亚微观化学传感器，用于 在细胞生理学研究中的应用。这些传感器，可以 具有远小于1微摩尔的特征尺寸，具有 监测离子浓度、酶水平、药物的可能性 浓度，以及各种各样的其他细胞内化学物质 属性，对研究人员来说相对容易。在建议的 方法，化学敏感指示剂被固定在 类似于微锥形光纤尖端的光聚合 用于近场扫描光学显微镜(NSOM)。这项技术 可以将NSOM的超细分辨率与灵敏度结合在一起 以及有源光纤化学传感器的特异性。这些传感器将 提供显著优势，包括更快的响应时间和 最大限度地减少细胞损伤，超过现有的生理微型传感器。 在项目的第一阶段，POC展示了这一点的实用性 制造和测试能够测量的传感器的技术 细胞内pH、钙离子浓度、钠离子浓度和 钾离子浓度。第二阶段将看到一个 紧凑的系统，能够作为一条商业路线的基础 亚显微传感产品以及新型传感器尖端的开发 化学既提高了可制造性，又提高了性能 提示并增加分析物的数量和类型 量过了。 拟议的商业应用：这些传感器将在 像基础细胞神经生理学和单一的- 细胞药物测试。从专为学术用途而设计的产品开始 和国家研究实验室，近场商业化 光学传感器可能最终导致它们在制药中的应用 测试、生物技术开发和过程控制，甚至医疗 诊断和病理学。

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.