Nanostructured surfaces for enhanced protein detection toward clinical diagnostics.
"Label-free" biomolecule sensors for detection of inflammatory cardiovascular biomarker associated with vulnerable coronary vascular plaque rupture were designed and fabricated using micro- and nanotextured polystyrene (PS) polymer structures that functioned as sensing elements coupled with electronic measurement equipment. We demonstrated that scaling down the surface texturing from the micro- to the nanoscale enhances the amplitude of the measured detected signal strength. We believe that the nanoscale fiber morphology provides size-matched spaces for trapping and immobilizing the protein biomolecule, resulting in improved detection signal strength. We selected PS as the model system and demonstrated the detection of human serum C-reactive protein. We employed these findings in designing a platform "lab-on-a-chip" protein sensor. Comparative studies were performed on PS textured surfaces of two different surface features: a PS microsphere mat and an electrospun PS nanofiber matrix.


BACKGROUND
In this study, nanotechnology-based biosensors for vulnerable coronary vascular plaque rupture were designed and fabricated using micro- and nanotextured polystyrene polymer structures. The authors demonstrated that scaling down the surface texturing from the micro- to the nanoscale enhances the sensitivity of this detection method.
Kunduru
Vindhya
V
Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Center for Solid State Electronics Research, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Bothara
Manish
M
Grosch
Jason
J
Sengupta
Sukalyan
S
Patra
Prabir K
PK
Prasad
Shalini
S
D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
D011137:Polystyrenes; D011506:Proteins