Direct protein detection with a nano-interdigitated array gate MOSFET

Nanotechnology in Retinal Disease: Current Concepts and Future Directions

The retina is one of the most complex and extraordinary human organs affected by genetic, metabolic, and degenerative diseases, resulting in blindness for ∼1.3 million people in the United States and over 40 million people worldwide. This translates into a huge loss of productivity, especially among younger patients with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and diabetic retinopathy. Age-related macular degeneration accounts for 90% of all blindness cases worldwide. The prevalence of this condition is projected to reach over 5 million individuals over the next 3 decades. There are also >20 IRD phenotypes, affecting >2 million people worldwide. Nanobiotechnology uses nanotechnology for biological applications, making use of biological materials either conceptually or directly in the fabrication of new materials. Bionanotechnology, on the other hand, uses molecular biology for the purpose of creating nanostructures (ie, structures with at least 1 dimension <100 nm). Retinal applications of these technologies are developing at a rapid pace. This review includes the most current nanotechnological applications in retinal diagnostics, theranostics, drug delivery, and targeting, including the potential for nonviral vehicles such as liposomes, micelles, and dendrimers, which pose advantages over viral vectors in retinal drug delivery. Furthermore, we discuss current and future applications as surgical adjuncts and in regenerative medicine as they pertain to retinal disease. Structure and function of nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubules, quantum dots, and magnetic nanoparticles, as well as diagnostic technologies such as next-generation DNA sequencing and single-molecule bionanosensing, will also be discussed.

Investigation of gate-engineered heterostructure tunnel field effect transistor as a label-free biosensor: a compact study

In this article, the authors have articulated DC as well as transient response of a dielectric modulated gate-engineered heterostructure tunnel field effect transistor (GE-HTFET)-based biosensor for label-free detection. A low (direct) bandgap material, indium arsenide (InAs) has been selectively used in the source region to achieve improved band-to-band tunneling of carriers in the tunnel FET. The extended gate architecture is incorporated to stabilize the biomolecules in the nano-cavity aiding significant boost in ON current sensitivity. Using SILVACO ATLAS TCAD tool, the sensitivity of the biosensor is evaluated considering two important parameters possessed by bio-targets, i.e. dielectric constant (k) and charge density (N). A thorough analysis has been performed to show the impact of variation of dielectric constants and charge density of biomolecules over transfer characteristics of the device. ON current level (Ion) is eventually extracted which is considered here as the suitable sensing parameter of the device. Transient response to detect the settling time of Ion is also demonstrated here in presence of both positively and negatively charged bio-species with varying values of dielectric constant. Then ON current sensitivity is extracted accordingly for different locations of biomolecules within the nano-gap. Finally, an extensive comparative analysis of the present structure in terms of ON current sensitivity is shown to justify its sensing ability as compared to recently reported device structures.

Dual aptamer-immobilized surfaces for improved affinity through multiple target binding in potentiometric thrombin biosensing

We developed a label-free and reagent-less potentiometric biosensor with improved affinity for thrombin. Two different oligomeric DNA aptamers that can recognize different epitopes in thrombin were introduced in parallel or serial manners on the sensing surface to capture the target via multiple contacts as found in many biological systems. The spacer and linker in the aptamer probes were optimized for exerting the best performance in molecular recognition. To gain the specificity of the sensor to the target, an antifouling molecule, sulfobeaine-3-undecanethiol (SB), was introduced on the sensor to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Surface characterization revealed that the aptamer probe density was comparable to the distance of the two epitopes in thrombin, while the backfilling SB SAM was tightly aligned on the surface to resist nonspecific adsorption. The apparent binding parameters were obtained by thrombin sensing in potentiometry using the 1:1 Langmuir adsorption model, showing the improved dissociation constants (Kd) with the limit of detection of 5.5 nM on the dual aptamer-immobilized surfaces compared with single aptamer-immobilized ones. A fine control of spacer and linker length in the aptamer ligand was essential to realize the multivalent binding of thrombin on the sensor surface. The findings reported herein are effective for improving the sensitivity of potentiometric biosensor in an affordable way towards detection of tiny amount of biomolecules.

In-vitro nanodiagnostic platform through nanoparticles and DNA-RNA nanotechnology

Nanocomposites containing nanoparticles or nanostructured domains exhibit an even higher degree of material complexity that leads to an extremely high variability of nanostructured materials. This review introduces analytical concepts and techniques for nanomaterials and derives recommendations for a qualified selection of characterization techniques for specific types of samples, and focuses the characterization of nanoparticles and their agglomerates or aggregates. In addition, DNA nanotechnology and the more recent newcomer RNA nanotechnology have achieved almost an advanced status among nanotechnology researchers¸ therefore, the core features, potential, and significant challenges of DNA nanotechnology are also highlighted as a new discipline. Moreover, nanobiochips made by nanomaterials are rapidly emerging as a new paradigm in the area of large-scale biochemical analysis. The use of nanoscale components enables higher precision in diagnostics while considerably reducing the cost of the platform that leads this review to explore the use of nanoparticles, nanomaterials, and other bionanotechnologies for its application to nanodiagnostics in-vitro.

Wafer scale interdigitated nanoelectrode devices functionalized using a MEMS-based deposition system

This paper reports on a methodology to elaborate interdigitated nanoelectrode devices (INDs) at the wafer scale, relying on a mix-and-match process which combines proximity optical lithography and electron beam lithography. An optimum exposure dose allowed fabricating nanodevices, at the wafer level, with a successful yield of 97%. The final devices are bonded onto conventional TO-8 packages. Electrical characterization in a short-circuited nanoelectrode is performed, revealing a 230 µΩ cm resistivity value at 23 °C. A MEMS-based spotter made of cantilevers (called Bioplume) has been used to obtain precise functionalization of the INDs with sub-picoliter volume solutions. These INDs are the basis of multiple tunnel junction nanodevices, intended to serve as novel highly sensitive nanobiosensors.