Abstract: Provided herein are systems for and methods of capturing, detecting, quantifying, and characterizing target moieties that are characterized by having a lipophilic portion of sufficient size and chemical composition whereby the target moiety inserts (or partitions) into a lipid assembly. Examples of such assays employ synthetic lipid constructs such as supported bilayers which are used to capture target moieties; other example assays exploit the natural absorption of compounds into natural lipid constructs such as HDL or LDL particles or cell membranes to capture target moieties. In specific embodiments, the target moieties are bacterial pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules or compounds not yet identified as PAMP molecules.

Abstract: Systems for and methods of capturing, detecting, quantifying, and characterizing target moieties that are characterized by having a lipophilic portion of sufficient size and chemical composition whereby the target moiety inserts (or partitions) into a lipid assembly are described. Methods of diagnosing a subject as having a bacterial infection by detecting bacterial pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules in serum are further described.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the simultaneous detection and quantitative measurement of multiple biomolecules, e.g., pathogen biomarkers through either a sandwich assay approach or a lipid insertion approach. The invention can further employ a multichannel, structure with multi-sensor elements per channel.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the simultaneous detection and quantitative measurement of multiple biomolecules, e.g., pathogen biomarkers through either a sandwich assay approach or a lipid insertion approach. The invention can further employ a multichannel, structure with multi-sensor elements per channel.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the simultaneous detection and quantitative measurement of multiple biomolecules, e.g., pathogen biomarkers through either a sandwich assay approach or a lipid insertion approach. The invention can further employ a multichannel, structure with multi-sensor elements per channel.

Abstract: Described herein are biosensors for early, pre-symptomatic detection of infectious agents and methods for their use. In particular, this disclosure describes biosensors that utilize toll-like receptor (TLR) binding domains to detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Also provided herein are methods of detecting and/or capturing a PAMP from a biological sample using the disclosed biosensors.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite material including a substrate having an oxide surface, and, a continuous monolayer on the oxide surface, the monolayer including a silicon atom from a trifunctional alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl silane group that attaches to the oxide surface, an alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl portion of at least three carbon atoms, a polyalkylene glycol spacer group, and either a reactive site (e.g., a recognition ligand) or a site resistant to non-specific binding (e.g., a methoxy or the like) at the terminus of each modified SAM. The present invention further provides a sensor element, a sensor array and a method of sensing, each employing the composite material. Patterning is also provided together with backfilling to minimize non-specific binding.

Abstract: A process is provided of conjugating a recognition element such as a biomolecule to a hydrophobic multifunctional linker molecule by incorporating a multifunctional linker molecule including one or more anchoring groups, a reporter group and a reactive site thereon into a membrane, and, reacting the membrane including the incorporated multifunctional linker molecule with a pre-selected recognition element to form a covalently bound recognition element-multifunctional linker molecule-membrane assembly. Also, a chemical assembly suitable for subsequent covalent attachment of a recognition element is provided such assembly including a multifunctional linker molecule including one or more anchoring groups, a reporter group, and a hydrophilic spacer terminated by a reactive group capable of subsequent covalent bonding, the one or more anchoring groups incorporated in a membrane.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the simultaneous detection and quantitative measurement of multiple biomolecules, e.g., pathogen biomarkers through either a sandwich assay approach or a lipid insertion approach. The invention can further employ a multichannel, structure with multi-sensor elements per channel.

Abstract: It has been found that moieties containing a lipophilic domain, e.g., lipophilic pathogen activated molecular patterns (PAMPs), insert into the lipid bilayer on a cell membrane to facilitate antigen recognition by the innate immune response receptors. This changes the basic understanding of antigen recognition by the innate immune system. A sensor platform for the ultra-sensitive and specific detection of moieties containing such a lipophilic domain, e.g., PAMPs, that are associated with a disease, has now been developed. To date, this approach has been validated with Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and lipopolysacharide (LPS), associated with gram-negative bacteria. This approach may be extendable to all lipophilic targets associated with pathogens and thus, is the basis of a very simple and specific sensing platform. In addition, novel applications for this technology in the selection of recognition ligands by mass spectroscopy have been identified.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite material including a substrate having an oxide surface, and, a continuous monolayer on the oxide surface, the monolayer including a silicon atom from a trifunctional alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl silane group that attaches to the oxide surface, an alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl portion of at least three carbon atoms, a polyalkylene glycol spacer group, and either a reactive site (e.g., a recognition ligand) or a site resistant to non-specific binding (e.g., a methoxy or the like) at the terminus of each modified SAM. The present invention further provides a sensor element, a sensor array and a method of sensing, each employing the composite material. Patterning is also provided together with backfilling to minimize non-specific binding.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of forming an immobilized chemical moiety, such as a trifunctional chemical moiety that includes membrane-anchoring functionalities, on a solid support for use in automated chemical synthesis of a recognition molecule. The invention is further directed to a method of easily and efficiently synthesizing chemical moieties such as those used for biosensor applications. The invention is further directed to a composition, i.e., a solid support having a trifunctional chemical moiety linked thereto, that can be readily and easily used to generate biological molecules for applications, such as biosensor applications.

Abstract: The present invention provides both materials and processes that use an optical transduction technique employing modulation of a biological recognition event at the surface of a waveguide. This approach relies on fluorescence of a reporter material, such as a dye, that is attached to a recognition molecule whose position relative to the surface of a waveguide, e.g., a planar optical waveguide, is modulated by electric, magnetic or acoustic fields or a combination of such fields.

Abstract: An assay element is described including recognition ligands bound to a film on a single mode planar optical waveguide, the film from the group of a membrane, a polymerized bilayer membrane, and a self-assembled monolayer containing polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol groups therein and an assay process for detecting the presence of a biological target is described including injecting a biological target-containing sample into a sensor cell including the assay element, with the recognition ligands adapted for binding to selected biological targets, maintaining the sample within the sensor cell for time sufficient for binding to occur between selected biological targets within the sample and the recognition ligands, injecting a solution including a reporter ligand into the sensor cell; and, interrogating the sample within the sensor cell with excitation light from the waveguide, the excitation light provided by an evanescent field of the single mode penetrating into the biological target-containing samp

Abstract: An assay element is described including recognition ligands adapted for binding to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) bound to a film on a single mode planar optical waveguide, the film from the group of a membrane, a polymerized bilayer membrane, and a self-assembled monolayer containing polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol groups therein and an assay process for detecting the presence of CEA is described including injecting a possible CEA-containing sample into a sensor cell including the assay element, maintaining the sample within the sensor cell for time sufficient for binding to occur between CEA present within the sample and the recognition ligands, injecting a solution including a reporter ligand into the sensor cell; and, interrogating the sample within the sensor cell with excitation light from the waveguide, the excitation light provided by an evanescent field of the single mode penetrating into the biological target-containing sample to a distance of less than about 200 nanometers from the wave

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process of forming a bilayer lipid membrane structure by depositing an organic layer having a defined surface area onto an electrically conductive substrate, removing portions of said organic layer upon said electrically conductive substrate whereby selected portions of said organic layer are removed to form defined voids within said defined surface area of said organic layer and defined islands of organic layer upon said electrically conductive substrate, and, depositing a bilayer lipid membrane over the defined voids and defined islands of organic layer upon said substrate whereby aqueous reservoirs are formed between said electrically conductive substrate and said bilayer lipid membrane, said bilayer lipid membrane characterized as spanning across the defined voids between said defined islands. A lipid membrane structure is also described together with an array of such lipid membrane structure.

Abstract: Design and synthesis of a novel library of compounds comprising a spacer with an attachment element on one terminus and a recognition element on the other terminus is presented. The library of compounds can be attached to a solid support and used as an integral component of sensors and biosensors or the library of compounds can be used as antiviral drugs or to isolate pathogens from complex mixtures for further analysis.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus and method for highly selective and sensitive chemical sensing. Two modes of laser light are transmitted through a waveguide, refracted by a thin film host reagent coating on the waveguide, and analyzed in a phase sensitive detector for changes in effective refractive index. Sensor specificity is based on the particular species selective thin films of host reagents which are attached to the surface of the planar optical waveguide. The thin film of host reagents refracts laser light at different refractive indices according to what species are forming inclusion complexes with the host reagents.

Abstract: A sensor for the detection of tetrameric multivalent neuraminidase within a sample is disclosed, where a positive detection indicates the presence of a target virus within the sample. Also disclosed is a trifunctional composition of matter including a trifunctional linker moiety with groups bonded thereto including (a) an alkyl chain adapted for attachment to a substrate, (b) a fluorescent moiety capable of generating a fluorescent signal, and (c) a recognition moiety having a spacer group of a defined length thereon, the recognition moiety capable of binding with tetrameric multivalent neuraminidase.

Abstract: A sensor for the detection of tetrameric multivalent neuraminidase within a sample is disclosed, where a positive detection indicates the presence of a target virus within the sample. Also disclosed is a trifunctional composition of matter including a trifunctional linker moiety with groups bonded thereto including (a) an alkyl chain adapted for attachment to a substrate, (b) a fluorescent moiety capable of generating a fluorescent signal, and (c) a recognition moiety having a spacer group of a defined length thereon, the recognition moiety capable of binding with tetrameric multivalent neuraminidase.