US 8,026,108 B1Granted

Detection of biotargets using bioreceptor functionalized nanoparticles

AssigneeUniversity of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.

InventorsQun Huo, Xiong Liu, Qiu Dai

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Abstract

An ultra sensitive method for detection of biomolecules includes the step of providing a plurality of bioreceptor functionalized nanoparticle probes. The nanoparticles can include metal, semiconductor, radioactive isotope or fluorescent dye molecules. A sample solution suspected of including the target is contacted with the probes, wherein if present, the target binds to the bioreceptor. After such binding a separating step follows. In the separating step, probes having the target bound thereto are separated from probes not having the target bound thereto. In one embodiment probes having the target bound thereto are then decomposed to generate ions, or broken into discrete radioactive isotopes or fluorescent dye molecules to form a solution including a large plurality of metal ions, radioactive isotopes or dye molecules. A concentration of ions, radioactive isotopes, or dye molecules in the solution is then determined and using this information the concentration of the target in the original sample solution is determined.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for detection of biomolecule targets, comprising the steps of:

providing a probe solution comprising a plurality of probes comprising bioreceptor functionalized nanoparticles, wherein said nanoparticles consisting of a plurality of metal atoms, and wherein said bioreceptor is adapted for binding said probes to said targets;
contacting a sample solution suspected of including said targets with said probe solution comprising said plurality of probes, wherein said targets when present in said sample solution bind to said plurality of probes;
separating said plurality of probes into a first group of probes having said targets bound thereto and a second group of probes not having said targets bound thereto;
breaking down said nanoparticles associated with probes in at least one of said groups of probes, wherein a plurality of signal moieties are released for each of said nanoparticles that are broken down to form at least one signal moiety solution;
measuring a parameter of said signal moieties in said at least one signal moiety solution;
and
determining a presence of said targets in said sample solution from said parameter of said signal moieties.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.