DNA Coated Nanotubes Are Potential Biosensors
By Biotechdaily staff writers
Posted on 14 Mar 2006
Posted on 14 Mar 2006
Image
Researchers have combined carbon nanotube technology with DNA hybridization to create a biologic sensor capable of detecting minute quantities of complementary DNA.Investigators at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, USA) coated single-walled carbon nanotubes with a DNA fragment comprising a 24-mer oligonucleotide sequence. When these tubes were immersed in a solution containing complementary single-stranded DNA, a hypsochromic shift in the frequency of near-infrared fluorescence of 2 meV, with detection sensitivity of 6 nM, was observed. This change could be measured optically and did not require the passage of voltage or current through the system. These findings were published in the February 17, 2006, online edition of Nano Letters.
"We have successfully demonstrated the optical detection of selective DNA hybridization on the surface of a nanotube,” said senior author Dr. Micharel Strano, professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois. "This work opens possibilities for new types of nanotube-based sensing and sequencing technologies.”
Related Links:
University of Illinois