An integrated NMR/nanosensor system for sensitive detection of environmental toxins and harmful microbes

摘要

The use of magnetic nanoparticles in conjunction with NMR detection technologies has lead to significant improvements in the detection of various molecular targets with high sensitivity and selectivivity in complex media. Recently, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanosensors have been designed to quantify various biomolecular targets, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity [1]. Using this technique various targets such as nucleic acids (DNA and mRNA), proteins and even viruses have been detected, with a sensitivity in the low femtomole range (0.5 - 30 fmol) for DNA. The observed changes in T2 are directly proportional to the concentration of the target in solution and can be easily detected by existing magnetic resonance (NMR/MRI) techniques. In this report, we present recent work geared towards the detection of pathogens and toxins.