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Ultrasensitive Readout Devices for Protein Chips--BioTraces, Inc., 2190 Fox Mill Road, Suite 200, Herndon, VA  20171; 703-793-1550

Dr. Andrzej K. Drukier, Principal Investigator

Dr. Andrzej K. Drukier, Business Official

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER82961

Amount:  $99,826

 

Technologies for making DNA chips are well advanced, but those for making protein chips are not.  We show how to harness the advances in DNA chip technology to the making of protein chips.  We propose to use aptamers, which are specific nucleic acid constructs, as protein binding agents to create P-chips for use in diagnostics and other biomedical applications.  With the use of the SELEX process developed by our collaborator, Prof. L.Gold, aptamers exhibiting highly specific binding to a given target can be selected.  By combining aptamer based chips with MPD readout (P-chip/MPD) exquisite sensitivity is attainable.  Aptamer-based protein chips are a big advance in the field, but very sensitive methods are needed for their readout.  This proposal requests funds to develop the more advanced MPD devices for the readout of high density P-chip/MPD.  These new devices will support much higher density P-chip/MPD than is currently possible.

 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  The combination of specificity of aptamers with the sensitivity of Multi Photon Detection may revolutionize immunodiagnostics by lowering the cost of assays while increasing their quality.