Miniaturized Optical DNA Sensors Based on Conjugated Polymers
Author | : Anupama Rao Gular Srinivas |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 340 |
Release | : 2013 |
Genre | : Biosensors |
ISBN | : |
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The development of highly sensitive and selective DNA sensors has fuelled applications in a wide range of fields including medical diagnostics, forensics, biodefense, food contamination and environment monitoring. Recently, conjugated polymers (CPs) have drawn attention as attractive novel materials for biosensors due to their tuneable optical and electronic properties and ability to respond to minor changes in their environment. The aim of this research was to develop miniaturised optical DNA sensors based on photoluminescent CPs. Investigations towards the effect of systematically substituting carboxylic acid functionalized CPs with polar methoxy, mono-ethylene glycol, di-ethylene glycol and tri-ethylene glycol sidechains on the solubility, optical and electrochemical properties were conducted. The resultant CPs were characterised using a range of techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultra-violet (UV-Vis) visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, three different novel optical DNA sensors on magnetic beads were designed and developed using the synthesized CPs. DNA hybridisation was monitored using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and superquenching readout methodologies. These sensors exhibit desirable characteristics such as ease of handling (through magnetic deployment). All the three different sensing platforms were able to discriminate mismatches in the target sequences, theoretical detection limits to target DNA concentrations were calculated between 0.01 pM and 18.8 pM, improving resistance to non-specific interactions with DNA and proteins, fulfilling the requirements for a selective, sensitive, mobile, cost effective miniaturised DNA sensor.