title: A functionalized THz sensor for marker-free DNA analysis.
abstract: We report on a novel resonant THz sensor for the label-free analysis of DNA molecules. The sensor allows the direct detection of DNA-probe molecules at functionalized electrodes via hybridization. Subsequent time resolved photoconductive sampling of the THz transmission identifies the binding state between probe and target DNA. Integrating neighbouring sensors on a chip, this technique can be extended to a parallel analysis of multiple DNA sequences. A clearly readable sensor response is obtained with less then 40 fmol of 20-mer single-stranded DNA molecules, indicating at least a sevenfold sensitivity increase compared to previous approaches.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Semiconductor Electronics, Aachen University, Sommerfeldstr. 24, 52074 Aachen, Germany. nagel@iht.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haring-Bolívar
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurz
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000032:analysis*; D004566:Electrodes; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes