Electrochemical detection of proteases using AC voltammetry on nanoelectrode arrays
AssigneeKansas State University Research Foundation
InventorsJun Li, Duy Hua, Lateef Uddin Syed, Allan Prior, Luxi Swisher
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Abstract
An electrochemical method for measuring the activity of enzymes using nanoelectrode arrays fabricated with vertically aligned carbon nanofibers. Short peptide substrates specific to disease-related enzymes are covalently attached to the exposed nanofiber tips. A redox moiety, such as ferrocene, can be linked at the distal end of the nanofibers. Contact of the arrays with a biological sample containing one or more target enzymes results in cleavage of the peptides and changes the redox signal of the redox moiety indicating the presence of the target enzymes.
Claims11
A nanoelectrode array comprising a substrate having a plurality of carbon nanofibers extending vertically therefrom, said nanofibers comprising a proximal end that is attached to said substrate and a distal end that is spaced apart from said substrate, said distal end of at least one of said nanofibers comprising a peptide or peptide residue covalently attached thereto, said peptide or peptide residue having a free end that is not bound to said nanofiber, said free end comprising a redox moiety attached thereto, said array being configured to detect the activity of one or more enzymes present within a biological sample through cleavage of said peptide or peptide residue by said one or more enzymes which releases said redox moiety from said array effecting a change in an electrical current across said array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.