Nanobiotechnology

The detection of bio-active molecules with high sensitivity, specificity and small sample volumes is of interest to a variety of applications ranging from detecting hazardous bio-toxins on the battle-field to timely clinical diagnosis of disease in the patient's home. Recent success with electronic technologies based on silicon nanowires that can record specific antigen-antibody interactions has spurred immense interest in this area. In collaboration with Dr. Fan Ren (fren@che.ufl.edu),we are developing new devices based on AlGaN/GaN sensors that can detect antigen-antibody interactions with high sensitivity. These devices are advantageous owing to their ease of fabrication, low cost, and low fluid volume handling. Studies are underway to wirelessly detect a variety of bio-agents ranging from bio-toxins to cancer markers.

  

Detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker for prostate cancer, with AlGaN/GaN sensors functionalized with PSA antibody. Drain current over time for PSA from 10 pg/ml to 1 ng/ml. (b) Plot of change of source and drain current versus different concentrations from 10 pg/ml to 1 µg/ml of PSA.

Pearton SJ, Ren F, Kang BS, Wang HT, Gila BP, Norton DP, Tien LC, Chancellor TJ, Lele TP, Tseng Y and Lin J, “GaN and ZnO based sensors for Bio, Nuclear Materials and Chemical Detection”, Proceedings of the Electrochemical Society Meeting, Washington, 2007

Wang HT, Kang BS, Chancellor TJ, Lele TP, Tseng Y, Ren F, Pearton SJ, Johnson JW, Rajagopal P, Roberts JC, Piner EL and Linthicum KJ “Fast electrical detection of Hg(II) ions with AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors”, Applied Physics Letters, in press.