Moreover, their metallic conductivity makes them perpetually conducting, hampering and even inhibiting the control of their electronic properties. For this reason, increased attention is being addressed towards semiconductor materials, such as Si and Ge. Nevertheless, biofunctionalised Si surfaces are very susceptible to hydrolysis, also leading to significant loss of bound DAPT secretase structure biomolecules, decreasing their sensitivity over time [7,8]. Recently, diamond has attracted much attention as a possible alternative semiconductor material. It surpasse
Nucleic acid hybridization on solid supports is widely Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries used in biotechnology for the isolation and capture of specific DNA sequences. In particular, many DNA-probe assays utilize oligo-conjugated magnetic particles (MPs) for capturing complementary nucleic acids [1,2].
These MPs are composed of iron oxide nanoparticles embedded in a polymeric matrix and are appropriate for target DNA detection and sample isolation [3�C5]. Specific DNA sequences have been detected by hybridization assays using different Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries materials such as biotin-avidin, protein-enzyme, and fluorescent dyes. However, these methods are limited by low signal intensity, rapid photobleaching as well as biosafety problems [6,7]. Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, quantum dots (QDs) possess unique properties and have significant advantages (such as tunable band gap and extraordinary photostability) over the classic organic dyes. Recent advances in nanotechnology have led to a broad range of application fields including using QDs as FRET donors in biosensors, QD-based immunoassays, and in vivo imaging with QDs as a fluorescence marker [8�C11].
Our interest in the unique optical properties of QDs has resulted in their combination with microparticles for improved target capturing (solid state separation) and detection with a fast and sensitive Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries diagnostics tool as a final goal.The synergy of combined MP-based hybridization for target capturing and QD detection Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries techniques will extend the basic application from an analytical device Cilengitide to the detection of complex biological samples or to integrated lab-on-a-chip platforms. This would allow use for fast target DNA detection in point-of-care diagnostics and field analysis. However, interactions between DNA, QD probes, and MP probes are still not well defined and a detailed characterization of the procedure does not exist.
A better understanding and optimization of the complex hybridization conditions between functionalized MP/QD probes and Imatinib STI571 nucleic acid targets is necessary for proper assay design, and will provide new insights and possibilities in various biomedical and biotechnological fields.In this paper, we describe the design of MP-conjugated and QD-based hybridization probes and their application for the detection of the avian influenza virus (H5N1).