title: Real-time monitoring of PCR amplification of proto-oncogene c-MYC using a Ta₂O₅ electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor sensor.
abstract: We present a new approach for real-time monitoring of PCR amplification of a specific sequence from the human c-MYC proto-oncogene using a Ta(2)O(5) electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor. The response of the fabricated EIS sensor to cycle DNA amplification was evaluated and compared to standard SYBR-green fluorescence incorporation, showing it was possible to detect DNA concentration variations with 30 mV/μM sensitivity. The sensor's response was then optimized to follow in real-time the PCR amplification of c-MYC sequence from a genomic DNA sample attaining an amplification profile comparable to that of a standard real-time PCR. Owing to the small size, ease of fabrication and low-cost, the developed Ta(2)O(5) sensor may be incorporated onto a microfluidic device and then used for real-time PCR. Our approach may circumvent the practical and economical obstacles posed by current platforms that require an external fluorescence detector difficult to miniaturize and incorporate into a lab-on-chip system.
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and CEMOP-UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Branquinho
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veigas
authors.forename: Joana V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fortunato
authors.forename: Pedro V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Baptista
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D016259:Genes, myc; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012666:Semiconductors; D013635:Tantalum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D010087:Oxides; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D013635:Tantalum; D004247:DNA; C078151:tantalum oxide