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Nano Research & Applications
ISSN 2471-9838
Advanced Nano 2017
Notes:
Page 47
September 11-12, 2017 Amsterdam, Netherlands
20
th
International Conference on
Advanced Nanotechnology
Maintaining biomolecules’ native conformation upon
surface immobilization and extracting their size and
shape: a study employing the QCM-D biosensor
Dimitra Milioni
1
, A Tsortos
1
and
E Gizeli
1, 2
1
Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology-FORTH, Greece
2
University of Crete, Greece
S
tudying bio-molecular conformation is of extremely
great importance in the fields of biology and nano-
biotechnology. The ability to maintain and study the
biomolecule’s native conformation is crucial, as the
latter is directly related to the molecule’s properties and
functions. For this purpose, in this work we used anchors
for immobilizing different biomolecules on an acoustic
biosensor surface via single-point attachment. The
biosensor response provides information directly related
to the geometrical features of the probed molecule. More
precisely, we used the Quartz Crystal Microbalance
with Dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) technique; as an
acoustic wave propagates through a medium containing
the molecules of interest, any change occurring in its
characteristics, such as the propagation frequency (F)
and the energy dissipation (D), can be linked to changes
in the concentration and/or the conformation of the
biomolecules bound on the surface. The scientific principle
behind the new approach described here is that the
acoustic ratio (ΔD/ΔF) is a measure of the hydrodynamic
volume of the attached entity, mathematically expressed
by its intrinsic viscosity [η]. We have already used this
approach for diagnostic purposes, including detection of
SNPs or targets of different lengths in real samples. Here,
we expand this methodology by specifically attaching
discrete biomolecules on the biosensor surface using DNA
molecules as single point and variable length anchors.
The native conformation of the biomolecules is thus
maintained and their conformation, i.e. shape and length,
is correctly predicted through acoustic measurements.
Biography
Dimitra Milioni obtained her Diploma in Applied Physics at NTUA, Athens,
Greece. She completed her MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics at
Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris VI, France) and PhD in Biophysics
at the same University in 2012. After spending some months as Visiting
Researcher in Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Laboratory, she is a
Post-doctoral Researcher in Biosensors Lab at Institute of Molecular Biology
and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas-IMBB-
FORTH, Greece. Her scientific interests focus on “Biosensors, plasma
membrane and model membranes as well as on their interaction with other
biomolecules (biocompatible polymers, pore-forming toxins and antimicrobial
peptides) and drug delivery”.
milioni@imbb.forth.grDimitra Milioni et al., Nano Res Appl 2017, 3:3
DOI: 10.21767/2471-9838-C1-002