†Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
‡School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015 May 20;7(19):10316-23. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b00994. Epub 2015 May 7.
Aptamers are an emerging class of molecules that, because of the development of the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) process, can recognize virtually every target ranging from ions, to proteins, and even whole cells. Although there are many techniques capable of detecting template molecules with aptamer-based systems with high specificity and selectivity, they lack the possibility of integrating them into a compact and portable biosensor setup. Therefore, we will present the heat-transfer method (HTM) as an interesting alternative because this offers detection in a fast and low-cost manner and has the possibility of performing experiments with a fully integrated device. This concept has been demonstrated for a variety of applications including DNA mutation analysis and screening of cancer cells. To the best our knowledge, this is the first report on HTM-based detection of proteins, in this case specifically with aptamer-type receptors. For proof-of-principle purposes, measurements will be performed with the peanut allergen Ara h 1 and results indicate detection limits in the lower nanomolar regime in buffer liquid. As a first proof-of-application, spiked Ara h 1 solutions will be studied in a food matrix of dissolved peanut butter. Reference experiments with the quartz-crystal microbalance will allow for an estimate of the areal density of aptamer molecules on the sensor-chip surface.
适体是一类新兴的分子，由于配体指数富集系统进化（SELEX）过程的发展，它们几乎可以识别从离子到蛋白质，甚至整个细胞的各种目标。虽然有许多技术能够以高特异性和选择性检测基于适体的系统中的模板分子，但它们缺乏将其集成到紧凑和便携式生物传感器设置中的可能性。因此，我们将介绍热传递方法（HTM）作为一种有趣的替代方法，因为它提供了快速和低成本的检测方式，并且有可能使用完全集成的设备进行实验。这个概念已经在各种应用中得到了证明，包括 DNA 突变分析和癌细胞筛选。据我们所知，这是基于 HTM 的蛋白质检测的第一个报告，在这种情况下，特别是使用适体型受体。为了验证原理，将使用花生过敏原 Ara h 1 进行测量，并在缓冲液中显示出在纳摩尔级以下的检测限。作为第一个应用实例，将在溶解的花生酱食品基质中研究添加了 Ara h 1 的溶液。与石英晶体微天平的参考实验将允许估计传感器芯片表面上适体分子的面积密度。
