加拿大多伦多大学Shana O. Kelley团队报道了使用分子摆的无试剂生物分子分析。 相关研究成果于2021年3月8日发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《自然—化学》。

无试剂传感器的发展，可以检测生物流体中的分子分析物，可以使个性化健康监测得到广泛应用。然而，目前使用的无试剂传感器只能检测到有限的一组分子输入物。

该文中，研究人员报道了一种与分析应激、过敏、心血管健康、炎症和癌症的重要生理标记蛋白相一致的传感机制。该传感方法基于倒立分子摆的运动，该倒立分子摆表现出受束缚分析物的存在调制的场致传输。研究人员使用附着的报告分子的电子转移动力学来测量传感器的电场介导的传输。使用时间分辨电化学测量使传感器单向运动，可以实时连续地跟踪与传感器复合物结合的分析物的存在。

研究表明，该种传感方法与测量血液、唾液、尿液、眼泪和汗液是兼容的，并且传感器可以在活体动物中原位采集数据。

附：英文原文

Title: Reagentless biomolecular analysis using a molecular pendulum

Author: Jagotamoy Das, Surath Gomis, Jenise B. Chen, Hanie Yousefi, Sharif Ahmed, Alam Mahmud, Wendi Zhou, Edward H. Sargent, Shana O. Kelley

Issue&Volume: 2021-03-08

Abstract: The development of reagentless sensors that can detect molecular analytes in biological fluids could enable a broad range of applications in personalized health monitoring. However, only a limited set of molecular inputs can currently be detected using reagentless sensors. Here, we report a sensing mechanism that is compatible with the analysis of proteins that are important physiological markers of stress, allergy, cardiovascular health, inflammation and cancer. The sensing method is based on the motion of an inverted molecular pendulum that exhibits field-induced transport modulated by the presence of a bound analyte. We measure the sensor’s electric field-mediated transport using the electron-transfer kinetics of an attached reporter molecule. Using time-resolved electrochemical measurements that enable unidirectional motion of our sensor, the presence of an analyte bound to our sensor complex can be tracked continuously in real time. We show that this sensing approach is compatible with making measurements in blood, saliva, urine, tears and sweat and that the sensors can collect data in situ in living animals.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00644-y

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-021-00644-y