Nanoassay development

荧光光谱学本质上是一种非常敏感的技术;它已经形成了 基于大多数非放射性真实的时间测定，如PCR。 我们的实验室之前与 前研究员（现在在生物技术行业）开发PCR的替代品，如“CataCleave” SNP探针。 我们继续研究DNA组分与多层金属纳米颗粒的物理和适当耦合 更快的PCR分析和FCS的使用（见MPM报告），以量化非常紧密的 亚微升液滴中的蛋白质-蛋白质和蛋白质-DNA结合（分析物 以亚飞摩尔量存在）。 我们（今年）暂时停止了MPM-FCS 和时间分辨荧光一起;在过去的几年里，我们已经在数字上结合了时间分辨荧光检测与平移迁移率（FCS），以帮助识别“游离”和“结合”的签名进行分析。 我们目前正在设计用于DNA/RNA探测的STAQ探针（参见纳米镜项目），类似于catacleave，计划仅超分辨紧密结合位点。 最近，我们已经使用TCSPC来开始解开设计的适体异质性问题（参见MPM项目和TR项目）。 今年，我们还与工业界合作，研究了肽和DNA激子探针的特征，这些探针除非展开或切割，否则会自我猝灭。

Fluorescence Spectroscopy is inherently a very sensitive technique; it already forms the basis of most non-radioactive real time assays like PCR. Our lab previously collaborated with former fellows (now in biotech industry) to develop alternatives to PCR like "CataCleave" probes for SNPs. We continue to study the photophysics and proper coupling of DNA components to multilayer metal nanoparticles for much faster PCR analysis and the use of FCS (see MPM report) to quantify very tight protein-protein and protein-DNA binding in sub-microliter drops (analytes are present in sub-femtomole amounts). We temporarily suspended (this year) doing MPM-FCS and Time-Resolved Fluorescence together; in previous years, we had numerically combined time-resolved fluorescence detection with translational mobility (FCS) to help identify "free" and "bound" signatures for assay. We are presently designing STAQ probes (see nanoscopy project) for DNA/RNA probing, analagous to catacleave, in plans to only superresolve tight binding sites. Recently we have used TCSPC to begin untangling designed aptamer heterogeneity questions (see MPM project and TR project). This year, we also examined the signatures for peptide and DNA Excitonic probes that self-quench unless unfolded or cleaved, in collaboration with industry.