Electrochemical sensor for monitoring levels of oxygen and nitrogen reactive species to benefit ageing research

该提案的重点是开发一种新型微电极，可以针对任何特定的化学后生物和化学修饰进行定制。这些微电极将使用碳纳米管复合材料制成，这使得该装置具有不同的电极面积。这些传感器可以使用两种不同的策略，它们可以被固定在玻璃毛细管或塑料移液管中，允许传感器是刚性的或柔性的。与传统的碳基电极相比，这是一个快速的进步。这些传感器将用于检测各种活性氧和活性氮（ROS/RNS）。这些化学物质发挥着关键的生物学作用，因此受到特别关注。它们与衰老过程有关，是许多与衰老过程有关的理论的基础。目前，由于使用的荧光染料特异性较差，目前的技术只能检测到总ROS/RNS。该装置将使研究衰老的研究人员受益，并有望增加这些研究的影响。测量将使用微电极阵列进行，微电极阵列将使用掺硼金刚石制造。这些微电极阵列将被修改用于检测ROS/RNS。我们的微电极具有优势，因为它们允许在不同位置同时测量ROS/RNS。ROS/RNS微电极和mea将在两种与衰老相关的应用中进行测试。首先是表征年老和年轻分离神经元不同区域ROS/RNS水平的变化。第二个应用将是观察进入衰老的细胞系中ROS/RNS的变化。测量将与荧光染料进行比较。最后，为了让生物科学研究人员能够接触到这种新的传感器技术，我们将举办一个研讨会，让科学家们了解传感器的功能，以及如何利用它来监测生物样本中的ROS/RNS水平。总的来说，这种新的传感策略将对与衰老相关的研究产生影响，但由于主电极具有针对任何特定分析物进行修改的能力，因此长期利益可以用于各个重要部门和领域。据设想，这种微电极可以用于检测主要优先领域的关键分析物，如食品安全，了解动物生理学和健康老龄化。

This proposal is focused on the development of a novel microelectrode that can be tailored for any specific chemical post biological and chemical modification. These microelectrodes will be made using carbon nanotube composite material, which allows the means to have a varied electrode area. These sensors can be made using two different strategies, where they can be held in either glass capillaries or plastic pipettes, allowing for sensors to be rigid or flexible. This is a rapid improvement compared to conventionally made carbon based electrodes. These sensors will be modified for the detection of various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). These chemicals are of specific interest as they play key biological roles. They have been implicated in the ageing process and are the basis of many theories associated with the ageing process. At present, only total ROS/RNS have been detected with current technology, as the fluorescent dyes that are used offer poor specificity. This device will be made to benefit researchers working on ageing and is anticipated to increase the impact of these studies. Measurements will be made using microelectrode arrays, which will be fabricated using boron-doped diamond. These microelectrode arrays will be modified for detection of ROS/RNS. Our microelectrodes are advantageous as they allow simultaneous measurements of ROS/RNS over various locations.The ROS/RNS microelectrode and MEAs will be tested on two applications associated with ageing. The first will be to characterise the changes in ROS/RNS levels over various regions of old and young isolated neurones. The second application will be to look at ROS/RNS changes in cell lines that enter senescence. Measurements will be carried out in comparison with fluorescent dyes.Finally to allow access to this new sensor technology for bioscience researchers, we will host a workshop that will allow scientist to learn about how the sensor functions and how it can be utilised for monitoring ROS/RNS levels from biological samples. Overall this new sensing strategy will provide impact to studies associated with ageing, but with the main electrode having the ability to be modified for any specific analyte, the long-term benefits can be for various sectors and fields of importance. It is envisioned that this microelectrode can be tailored for detection of key analytes for major priority areas such as food security, understanding animal physiology and healthy ageing.