RECEPTOR-BASED SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN BIOSENSORS

BIOSENSORS DEPEND ON THE BINDING AFFINITY OF A BIOLOGICAL RECEPTOR MOLECULAR FOR A SPECIFIC CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND A MEANS OF DETECTING THE BINDING REACTION. WE PROPOSE A RECEPTOR-BASED BIOSENSOR COUPLED WITH SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY (SERS) FOR A DIRECT SPECTROSCOPIC APPROACH TO BIOSENSING. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I PROGRAM IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DETECTING SPECIFIC RECEPTOR-LIGAND (R-L) BINDING REACTIONS UTILIZING ENHANCED RAMAN TECHNIQUES. MODEL R-L BINDING SYSTEMS FOR STUDY WILL INCLUDE KNOWN AFFINITY SYSTEMS SUCH AS ANTIBODY-ANTIGEN AND LECTIN-CARBOHYDRATE COMBINATIONS. A SIX-MONTH PROGRAM OF RESEARCH WILL INVESTIGATE THE SERS SPECTRA OF MODEL RECEPTORS, LIGANDS AND R-L COMPLEXES. RECEPTORS MOLECULES WILL BE ABSORBED TO A SURFACE WHICH GIVES ENHANCED RAMAN ACTIVITY, AND THE RAMAN SPECTRUM RECORDED. THE LIGAND WILL THEN BE ADDED AND THE RAMAN SPECTRUM RECORDED AGAIN TO THE RECEPTORLIGAND COMPLEX. THE CHANGE IN SERS SIGNAL WOULD FORM THE BASIS FOR A NEW TYPE OF SENSOR IN QHICH THE R-L BINDING REACTION COULD BE OBSERVED IN REAL TIME AND RELATED TO THE CONCENTRATION OF LIGAND.