Abstract:
The field of clinical diagnostics calls for novel, ultrasensitive
detection of biomarkers at femtomolar concentrations, which require
beyond the typical limit of florescence-based enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Surface plasmon resonance imaging
(SPRI), in conjunction with surface enzymatic amplification, serves as
a highly suitable detection method of biomolecules at such low
concentration levels3. I developed the original surface enzymatic
techniques to enhance the measurement of multiplexed biomarkers, such
as microRNA and proteins. One process involved enzymatic capture
reaction (T4 ligation) onto DNA-modified silica nanoparticles, which
drove multiplexed microRNA detection by SPRI toward higher
sensitivity. Another approach I used to advance SPRI detection
utilized DNA aptamer switches (immobilized on surface), DNAzyme
footprinting, and biofunctionalized silica nanoparticles. Finally, I
demonstrated on-chip multiplexed ssRNA synthesis by T7 RNA polymerase,
in order to generate self-adsorbed RNA aptamer microarrays for protein
biosensing.