#Gold nanoparticles linked to single stranded-dna DNA create a simple but versatile genetic testing kit Tests for identifying genetic variations among individuals
which can be used to develop precisely targeted drug therapies are a current focus in the emerging field of pharmacogenomics.
To develop the nanoprobe Jackie Ying at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and co-workers in Singapore Taiwan and Japan devised a relatively simple procedure that uses standard laboratory equipment
Ying's method detects genetic variations known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) that differ in only a single-nucleotide building block of DNA.
In the case of warfarin#the most frequently prescribed anticoagulant#there are SNP differences in specific parts of the genome that indicate
and amplified from a patient's genome. The nanoprobes are initially pink due to surface plasmonic effects involving ripples of electric charge.
and the genome fragments separate. For cases of partial complementarity#in which the fragments are mismatched by a single nucleotide#the melting temperature is lowered by an amount depending on the level of mismatch.
The system can also distinguish between homozygous genotypes (where a person caries the same SNP on each member of a pair of chromosomes)
and heterozygous genotypes (where a person carries different SNPS on each chromosome). The patented warfarin test kit is available for commercialization
and are validating assay kits for several other applications in pathogen detection pharmacogenomics and genetic disease screening.
Nanoprobe-based genetic testing. Nano Today 9 166#171 (2014. dx. doi. org/10.1016/j. nantod. 2014.04.00
A team led by bioengineer Jeffrey Jacot and chemical engineer and chemist Matteo Pasquali created the patches infused with conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Because the toxicity of carbon nanotubes in biological applications remains an open question Pasquali said the fewer one uses the better.
#Single unlabelled biomolecules can be detected through light Being able to track individual biomolecules and observe them at work is every biochemist's dream.
This would enable the scientists to research in detail and better understand the workings of the nanomachines of life, such as ribosomes and DNA polymerases.
Their optical biosensor for single unlabelled molecules could also be a breakthrough in the development of biochips:
Our understanding of fundamental life processes was made first possible by knowledge of how individual biomolecules interact with each other.
In cells, nanomachines such as ribosomes and DNA polymerases stitch individual molecules together to form complex biological structures such as proteins and DNA molecules, the repositories of genetic information.
and it can interfere with the function of the biological nanomachines. Although light can be used to detect unlabelled biomolecules,
the approach cannot be used to detect single DNA molecules, as the interaction of light waves with the molecule is too weak.
and Biosensors at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light has succeeded now in amplifying the interaction of light with DNA molecules to the extent that their photonic biosensor can be used to observe single unlabelled molecules and their interactions.
The gain in signal is then sufficient to detect single biomolecules, such as DNA fragments. The Erlangen-based researchers did precisely that.
"The researchers have tested their optical biosensor with a sample containing both an exactly matching DNA fragment
The researchers also needed a platform on which biological components, like br, could survive and connect with the titanium dioxide catalyst:
merged with biology, can create new sources of clean energy. Her team's discovery may provide future consumers a biologically-inspired alternative to gasoline."
#Graphene sensor tracks down cancer biomarkers An ultrasensitive biosensor made from the wonder material graphene has been used to detect molecules that indicate an increased risk of developing cancer.
The biosensor has been shown to be more than five times more sensitive than bioassay tests currently in use and was able to provide results in a matter of minutes opening up the possibility of a rapid point-of-care diagnostic tool for patients.
The biosensor has been presented today 19 september in IOP Publishing's journal 2d Materials. To develop a viable bionsensor the researchers from the University of Swansea had to create patterned graphene devices using a large substrate area
and low pressure to form the basis of the biosensor. The researchers then patterned graphene devices using semiconductor processing techniques before attaching a number of bioreceptor molecules to the graphene devices.
These receptors were able to bind to or target a specific molecule present in blood saliva or urine.
In their study the researchers used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to confirm that the bioreceptor molecules had attached to the graphene biosensor once fabricated
and then exposed the biosensor to a range of concentrations of 8-OHDG. When 8-OHDG attached to the bioreceptor molecules on the sensor there was a notable difference in the graphene channel resistance
which the researchers were able to record. Results showed that the graphene sensor was capable of detecting 8-OHDG concentrations as low as 0. 1 ng ml-1
The graphene biosensor was also considerably faster at detecting the target molecules completing the analysis in a matter of minutes.
Moving forward the researchers highlight the potential of the biosensor to diagnose and monitor a whole range of diseases as it is quite simple to substitute the specific receptor molecules on the graphene surface.
which make it an ideal material for fabricating biosensors. Now that we've created the first proof-of-concept biosensor using epitaxial graphene we will look to investigate a range of different biomarkers associated with different diseases and conditions as well as detecting a number of different biomarkers on the same chip.
Explore further: On the edge of graphene More information: Generic epitaxial graphene biosensors of ultrasensitive detection of cancer risk biomarker Z Tehrani et al 2014 2d Mater. 1 025004. iopscience. iop. org/2053
-1583/1/2/025004/articl l
#Startup scales up graphene production develops biosensors and supercapacitors An official of a materials technology and manufacturing startup based on a Purdue University innovation says his company is addressing the challenge of scaling graphene production for commercial applications.
Glenn Johnson CEO of Bluevine Graphene Industries Inc. said many of the methodologies being utilized to produce graphene today are not easily scalable
biosensors and supercapacitors. Johnson said the company's first-generation glucose monitoring technology could impact the use of traditional testing systems like lancets
We also are focused on working with potential customers to continue to develop baseline products for both our biosensor
Saraf, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering said he envisions a stethoscope-like device that a doctor would press across a patient's chest to image the buried palpable structure.
and Biochemistry and Molecular biology at Penn State. In a paper first published online on Sept. 9 in the journal Nature Chemistry, Mallouk and colleagues at Penn State and the Research center for Exotic Nanocarbons at Shinshu University, Japan, describe a method called intercalation,
#Team develops ultra sensitive biosensor from molybdenite semiconductor Move over graphene. An atomically thin two-dimensional ultrasensitive semiconductor material for biosensing developed by researchers at UC Santa barbara promises to push the boundaries of biosensing technology in many fields from health care to environmental protection to forensic industries.
Based on molybdenum disulfide or molybdenite (Mos2) the biosensor materialsed commonly as a dry lubricanturpasses graphene's already high sensitivity offers better scalability
and low-cost biosensors that can eventually allow single-molecule detectionhe holy grail of diagnostics and bioengineering research said Samir Mitragotri co-author and professor of chemical engineering and director of the Center for Bioengineering at UCSB.
Detection and diagnostics are a key area of bioengineering research at UCSB and this study represents an excellent example of UCSB's multifaceted competencies in this exciting field.
The key according to UCSB professor of electrical and computer engineering Kaustav Banerjee who led this research is Mos2's band gap the characteristic of a material that determines its electrical conductivity.
While graphene has attracted wide interest as a biosensor due to its two-dimensional nature that allows excellent electrostatic control of the transistor channel by the gate
and high surface-to-volume ratio the sensitivity of a graphene field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor is restricted fundamentally by the zero band gap of graphene that results in increased leakage current leading to reduced sensitivity
and the current in the channel is modulated by the binding between embedded receptor molecules and the charged target biomolecules to
Monolayer or few-layer Mos2 have a key advantage over graphene for designing an FET biosensor:
and increases the abruptness of the turn-on behavior of the FETS thereby increasing the sensitivity of the biosensor said Banerjee.
Moreover the channel length of Mos2 FET biosensor can be scaled down to the dimensions similar to those of small biomolecules such as DNA
which can lead to high sensitivity even for detection of single quanta of these biomolecular species she added.
The Mos2 biosensors demonstrated by the UCSB team have provided already ultrasensitive and specific protein sensing with a sensitivity of 196 even at 100 femtomolar (a billionth of a millionth of a mole) concentrations.
Biosensors based on conventional FETS have been gaining momentum as a viable technology for the medical forensic
Such biosensors allow for scalability and label-free detection of biomoleculesemoving the step and expense of labeling target molecules with florescent dye.
and low-cost ultrasensitive biosensors continued Kis who is connected not to the project. Explore further: New rapid synthesis developed for bilayer graphene and high-performance transistors More information:
But a novel protein nanoparticle developed by Peter Burkhard, a professor in the Department of Molecular & Cell biology, in collaboration with David Lanar
an expert in structural biology affiliated with UCONN's Institute of Materials science.""With RTS, S, only about 14 percent of the vaccine's protein is from the malaria parasite.
Professor Mazhar Khan from UCONN's Department of Pathobiology is collaborating with Burkhard on the animal flu vaccine e
#Biomimetic photodetector'sees'in color (Phys. org) Rice university researchers have created a CMOS-compatible biomimetic color photodetector that directly responds to red green
Biomimicry was no accident. The color photodetector resulted from a $6 million research program funded by the Office of Naval Research that aimed to mimic cephalopod skin using metamaterials compounds that blur the line between material and machine.
Halas said the squid skin research team which includes marine biologists Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Mass
Bob has created a biomimetic detector that emulates what we are hypothesizing the squid skin'sees'Halas said.
In addition this research has the potential to inform the creation of living microbial circuits forming the foundation of hybrid biological-synthetic electronic devices.
Researchers use gold substrate to allow for electron cryomicroscopy on difficult proteins More information: Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 nanowires are outer membrane and periplasmic extensions of the extracellular electron transport components PNAS www. pnas. org/cgi/doi/10.1073
and composition by a seed-mediated growth route,"explains lead researcher Jackie Ying from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Probing such delicate biological samples with light allows us to watch these dancing molecules for hours without changing
Researchers from the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia's (ICN2 Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology) Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors Group led by the ICREA Research Prof Arben Merkoçi work
The Group published in the last issue of Advanced Functional Materials an article describing a flexible biological field-effect transistor (Biofet) for use in biosensing.
a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry who led the research. Electrochemical capacitors, also known as ECS or supercapacitors, are an important technology for the future of energy storage and mobile power supplies,
and behave like smart, soft biological material, and integrate it with cells and cellular networks at the whole-tissue level.
Lieber has been working to dramatically shrink cyborg science to a level that's thousands of times smaller and more flexible than other bioelectronic research efforts.
ultraflexible electronics into the brain and allow them to become fully integrated with the existing biological web of neurons.
and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University adding that the research is really a nice piece of work.
the team used an advanced version of a polarised light microscope based at the Marine Biological Laboratory, USA,
Strategic Energy resources Ltd and an expert in polarized light imaging, Dr. Rudolf Oldenbourg from the Marine Biological Laboratory, USA,
and in environmental and biological sciences. Future studies using these techniques at NSLS-II -which will produce x-rays 10,000 times brighter than those at NSLS-will have even greater resolution
"Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer engineering and a professor of biomedical engineering, chemistry, physics and astronomy at Rice, said the potential applications for SECARS include chemical and biological sensing as well as metamaterials research.
#Designing ultra-sensitive biosensors for early personalised diagnostics A new type of high-sensitivity and low-cost sensors,
called plasmonic biosensors, could ultimately become a key asset in personalised medicine by helping to diagnose diseases at an early stage.
In biosensors, protein molecules are identified by irradiating them with infrared light and by analysing the spectrum of the light they emit, known as a Raman spectrum.
if the biomolecules are close to the hot spots Therefore, the molecules have to be trapped to be detected.
To do so, the researchers attached bioreceptors, fragments of DNA engineered to recognise specific proteins, to the nanoantennas.
When the nanoantennas studded with the bioreceptors are incubated in a solution that contains the biomarkers to be detected,
they show the Raman fingerprints of both the bioreceptor and the biomarker, as Gucciardi points out.
who has been developing plasmonic biosensors at the University of Victoria, British columbia, Canada. He also believes that such approach will make medical care more cost effective."
The"end-users"of these biosensors have to understand that the development of these devices by researchers in many disciplines is a long process, notes Estévez.
She adds that these biosensors will need to be integrated with optical components, with electronics for reading out the measurements, software to process all data,
The size of these nanoparticles their dynamic character and the fact that the reactions take place under normal biological conditions (at ambient temperature
and plays important roles in natural environments, particularly inside biological nanochannels. Professor Lei Jiang and his group from State Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, set out to study this unified bionic frontier.
After several years of innovative research, they developed a series of biomimetic nanochannels, delivered a strategy for the design
entitled"Construction of biomimetic smart nanochannels for confined water",was published in National Science Review. Nature has inspired always greatly technology, engineering and significant inventions.
Jiang expatiated the confined water that exists in one-dimensional micro/nano composite structures in detail, particularly inside biological nanochannels.
they provided a strategy for the design and construction of biomimetic smart nanochannels. Importantly, they have applied the abiotic analogs to energy conversion systems.
biological ion channels played key roles for high efficient energy conversion in organisms due to its nanoscale effect and ion selectivity.
#Nanoparticles could provide easier route for cell therapy UT Arlington physics researchers may have developed a way to use laser technology to deliver drug and gene therapy at the cellular level without damaging surrounding tissue.
or other small molecules directly into cells is essential for some of the most advanced methods being developed in gene therapy,
cheaper chips and computers inspired by biological brains in that they could perform many tasks at the same time.
and will thus make the detailed study of representative volumes of biological tissue and materials science specimens possible in future.
where they enable three-dimensional imaging for a vast array of applicationsranging from biological tissue, technical devices such as catalysts, fossils to antique works of art.
especially with sensitive objects such as biological materials,"explains Holler.""This effect is reduced vastly through cooling,
Like the molecule that carries genetic information in living things, the synthetic DNA strands used as"glue"to bind nanoparticles in this study have a natural tendency to pair up
or even for delivering genes to cells for gene therapy and such approaches,"said Gang.""Our study is the first of its kind to look at the structural aspects of DNA-particle/lipid interface directly using x-ray scattering.
"said Ali Yetisen, a Phd candidate in the Department of Chemical engineering & Biotechnology, who led the research.
heart problems and deep vein thrombosis has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN).
Genetic testing can improve the treatment of such medical conditions. By combining our expertise in molecular diagnostics and nanotechnology,
IBN's test kit can recognize three of the most common genetic variations, or single-nucleotide polymorphisms, associated with warfarin response.
If any of the three genetic variations is present the solution will remain pink. But if none of the variations is present,
and can be extended to detect other genetic variations. By making molecular diagnostics information more readily available, doctors will be able to provide personalized treatment that is safer and more effective
In biological materials it could locate the attachment of chemical agents or particles that are bound to a cell and aid in the study of protein dynamics.
In biological applications we expect it to provide an order of magnitude improvement in the ability to investigate processes such as protein dynamics.
and nanometer scale is crucial from semiconductor electronics to biochemistry and medicine. Explore further: High-resolution microscopy technique resolves individual carbon nanotubes under ambient condition c
in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Michigan, have developed a 3-D artificial enzyme cascade that mimics an important biochemical pathway that could prove important for future biomedical and energy applications.
"We look to Nature for inspiration to build man-made molecular systems that mimic the sophisticated nanoscale machineries developed in living biological systems,
and we rationally design molecular nanoscaffolds to achieve biomimicry at the molecular level, "Yan said,
and Biochemistry and directs the Center for Molecular Design and Biomimicry at the Biodesign Institute.
to another enzyme to carry out the next step in a biochemical pathway in the human body. For the new study, the researchers chose a pair of universal enzymes, glucose 6-phosphate phosphate dehydrogenase (G6pdh) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH),
"said Walter."Work with these enzymes could lead to future applications in green energy production such as fuel cells using biomaterials for fuel."
which is used for as a key cofactor for biosynthesis. Remaking this enzyme pair in the test tube
"said Walter. The work also opens a bright future where biochemical pathways can be replicated outside the cell to develop biomedical applications such as detection methods for diagnostic platforms."
Research by Jeremy Duczynski from the University of WA's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry investigated
When University of Illinois Associate professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering Hyunjoon Kong graduate student Cartney Smith and colleagues set out to improve MR imaging (MRI) they turned current contrast agent technology on its head
Kong is also a member of the Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering research theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology.
Kong Smith and colleagues tackled these challenges by using interactions between naturally occurring biomolecules as a guide.
10.1021/la500412r) Kong and Smith developed a process for chemically cross-linking the components of the nanoparticle that prolonged the life of the nanoparticles in biological conditions.
and analyzing changes in their physical properties said Rimer Ernest J. and Barbara M. Henley Assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering at UH.
and the DNA double helix has been the key to understanding how genetic information is stored and passed on.
and suppress the use of genetic information stored in their DNA A
#MEMS nanoinjector for genetic modification of cells The ability to transfer a gene or DNA sequence from one animal into the genome of another plays a critical role in a wide range of medical researchncluding cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.
But the traditional method of transferring genetic material into a new cell, called"microinjection,"has a serious downside.
It involves using a small glass pipette to pump a solution containing DNA into the nucleus of an egg cell,
but the extra fluid can cause the cell to swell and destroy itesulting in a 25 to 40 percent cell death rate.
which in turn reduces the cost to create a transgenic animal,"according to Jensen. One of the team's most significant findings is that it's possible to use the electrical forces to get DNA into the nucleus of the cellithout having to carefully aim the lance into the pronucleus (the cellular structure containing the cell's DNA."
would be attractive for a variety of transgenic technologies, "said Jensen.""We believe nanoinjection may open new fields of discovery in these animals."
"We expect the lance array may enable gene therapy using a culture of a patient's own cells,
and precisely controlled micromirrors to shine light on a selected area of a solution containing photosensitive biopolymers and cells.
He talks about something I am paraphrasing (more deadly than nuclear chemical or biological war.
#Women's Breasts Age Way Faster Than The Rest Of Their Bodies A new technique for identifying the precise biological age of human tissue reveals that not all tissues grow old at the same rate.
Not all parts of the body age alike according to Steve Horvath a geneticist at UCLA's medical school.
Horvath developed a way to determine the biological age of different tissues in the body by looking at DNA methylation a chemical alteration of genes that#has been suggested by#previous studies to be a potential biomarker for a cell's age.
For the most part his method accurately tied the biological age (the age predicted from the person's DNA) to the chronological age of the donor.
#The study is online in Genome Biology o
#Mega-Canyon Discovered Beneath Greenland Ice Sheet A previously unknown canyon has been discovered in Greenland hidden beneath the ice.
A team of biologists has found how to make a material that insects aren't able to walk on.
In addition the biologists found plants'surface chemistry didn't matter to insect foot traction just plants'cuticle structure.
It's possible enhancing the biochemical events that lead to growth in the brain would cause issues elsewhere in the body like potentially raising the risk of cancer.
#How Mya Breitbart Is Mapping The Genomes Of Entire Ecosystems Each year Popular Science seeks out the brightest young scientists and engineers and names them the Brilliant Ten.
--The Editorsuniversity of South Floridamapping the genomes of an entire ecosystem at once. Viruses are the most abundant entities on the planet and among the most mysterious.
Rather than try to isolate individual virus species from a sample there are up to 10 billion viruses in a liter of seawater Breitbart extracts all the genetic material present chops it into smaller pieces and sequences those pieces simultaneously.
Breitbart's approach has spawned a new branch of biology called metagenomics which researchers use to sample
and sequence genetic material directly from the enviroment. Recently Breitbart has found a new source of viruses:
#How Feng Zhang Modified A Cell's Genome On the fly Each year Popular Science seeks out the brightest young scientists and engineers and names them the Brilliant Ten.
--The Editorsmassachusetts Institute of technology and Broad Institutemodifying a cell's genome on the flywhen Feng Zhang was in graduate school he discovered that the tools for splicing new genes into living cells were costly time-consuming and proprietary.
They dramatically sped up the study of genetics and disease. The techniques Zhang helped develop called TALE
and CRISPR create transgenic or otherwise genetically modified organisms with unprecedented efficiency. TALE is a molecule that gloms onto a section of DNA
CRISPR is based on a microbial enzyme that snips the DNA to introduce new genetic material. Using these methods Zhang can make a transgenic mouse in three weeks (normal methods require more than six months to achieve that feat.
Almost 2000 labs have requested information about CRISPR alone since it was cited first in a publication in January 2013.
Zhang plans to use the techniques to study the genetics of autism and schizophrenia. He has begun already to insert genes linked to each disorder one by one into animal models to observe their effects.
Arjun Raj and his collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania invented a technique to track that gene expression and its effects.
which carry genetic information from DNA reveal which genes are turned on and how often they're active.
When a chromosome gets chopped into several pieces and reassembled as often happens in cancer even undamaged genes are expressed at different levels than in a normal chromosome.
Raj also discovered that in genetically identical worms varying levels of gene transcription could mean the difference between a long life and an early death.
But now that cell biologists can see these subtle events they can begin to study why the events happen.
Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious animals â##prey that provide a signal that somehow says'Don't eat
It's unlikely that this clone could develop into a human say the scientists a team of biologists from the U s. and Thailand.
Mitalipov is a biologist who studies cells and development at the Oregon Health and Science University.
and transplanted them into eggs that had their own genetic material removed. They then grew the eggs for a few days harvested the daughter cells that appeared
So is a biological system with the future potential to develop into a person itself an actual person or not?
Study of embryonic stem cells will further our understanding of developmental biology which will lead to a better understanding of embryogenesis potentially leading to currently unavailable treatments for debilitating congenital disorders
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