Novel Photonic Technique Creates Micrometer Resolution Multi-sensor Arrays and Provides a New Approach to Coupling of Genes, Nucleic Acids, Peptide Hormones and Drugs to Nanoparticle Carriers

摘要

Photonic induced immobilisation is a novel technology that results in spatially oriented and localised covalent coupling of biomolecules onto thiol reactive surfaces. The reaction mechanism behind the new technology involves light induced breakage of disulphide bridges upon UV illumination of aromatic amino acids, resulting in the formation of free, reactive thiol groups that will form covalent bonds with thiol reactive surfaces. The new precision immobilisation technique allows for micrometer immobilisation of pharmaceutically relevant biomolecules, allowing for the creation of dense multi-sensor arrays. It provides spatially controlled molecular immobilisation since the immobilisation of each biomolecule can be limited to the focal point of illumination with dimensions as small as a few micrometers. This new technology is ideal to couple drugs, proteins, peptides and other molecules to nanoparticles such as gold nanospheres which can be used as molecular carriers into cells for therapeutical purposes.