Ron Davis
AmirAli H. Talasaz
Mohsen Nemat-Gorgani
Mostafa Ronaghi
Henrik Persson
Saharnaz Bigdeli
Collaborators
Fabian Pease
Juan Santiago
Nanotechnology is widely viewed as the most significant technological
frontier currently being explored. In this project, we will take advantage
of recent advances of silicon proccessing in making nanometer features,
sensitive signal detection and surface chemistry to measure the catalytic
activity of biological molecules in real-time. The specificity of the
proposed system relies on unique selectivity of enzymes, a product of
nature that has evolved more than a billion years. Specific enzymes will
be immobilized in nanochannels to measure concentration of metabolites
(chemicals acting as substrates for enzymes) in biological fluids by
electrical detection of the enzyme conformational changes during catalytic
activities. Knowledge achieved from this project may allow an integrated
high-throughput nanotechnology-enabled sensor platform to be made employing
direct electrical detection of metabolites in a label-free, highly multiplexed
format ver a broad dynamic range.
Impact/Significance
Provides a powerful new tool for gaining insight into functional
biology
Currently earmarked by the NIH roadmap initiative
Useful fr studies of drug toxicity, drug efficacy and model organisms,
as well as humans and plants
Accomplishments
Nanopore fabrication on thin gold/silicon nitride membrane
Surface chemistry optimization for enzyme immobilization