Applied Surface Science, Vol.254, No.4, 1126-1130, 2007
Using light to bioactivate surfaces: A new way of creating oriented, active immunobio sensors
Ultraviolet light can be used to immobilize biomolecules onto thiol reactive surfaces in order to, e.g,, make biosensors. The mechanism involves light-induced formation of free, reactive thiol groups in disulphide containing molecules. This technology allows for the creation of arrays of biomolecules with a high degree of reproducibility, circumventing the need for often expensive nano/micro-dispensing technologies. The ultimate size of the immobilized spots is defined by the focal area of the UV beam. Light-induced immobilization has the added benefit that the immobilized molecules will be spatially oriented and covalently bound to the surface. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of a sensor array created with the new sensor technology when integrated into a microfluidic system. Protein arrays made using light-induced immobilization showed successful antigen/antibody binding in a flow cell allowing the visualisation of real time binding and enzyme activity. This new technology is ideal for the creation of protein/DNA microarrays, can replace present micro-dispensing arraying technologies and is ideal as a molecular imprinting technology. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords:protein arrays;UV light;biosensors;microfluidics;fluorescence microscopy;light assisted protein immobilization;fab fragments