CAREER: Highly Rapid and Sensitive Nanomechanoelectrical Detection of Nucleic Acids

职业：高度快速、灵敏的核酸纳米机电检测

• 批准号: 2338857
• 负责人: Jinglei Ping
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2029-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2338857&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Highly; Rapid; Sensitive; Nanomechanoelectrical

The aim of this project is to develop a novel method for detecting genetic materials such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), uniquely combining high sensitivity with speed to overcome the limitations of existing techniques. The project will lead to compact, quick, accurate, and user-friendly devices for genetic material detection. These devices operate by measuring the electrical responses of genetic materials when they vibrate in an external electric field. Such innovation holds the potential to revolutionize bioengineering, enabling more efficient testing of genetic materials, especially in regions without advanced laboratory facilities. Consequently, it promises to enhance pandemic management and global healthcare. A key aspect of this project is its educational outreach. The plan aims to engage students across all levels, from kindergarten through college, placing special emphasis on the inclusion of women and groups typically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The project envisions collaboration among academic institutions, industry, and other key organizations. Such partnerships are essential for further advancing the field and ensuring the widespread application and impact of the proposed research.Amplification-free electronic detection of low-abundance nucleic-acid oligomers holds significant promise for advancing point-of-care diagnostics of various diseases. However, known all-electrical methods struggle to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity and rapid detection. The objective of this proposed research is to develop a nanomechanoelectrical transduction approach and integrate it with electrophoresis running transversal to the longitudinal axis of a microfluidic channel, to enhance both the sensitivity and time efficiency of nucleic acid detection by two orders of magnitude. To attain the overall objective, the following specific aims will be met: 1) Determine the nanomechanoelectrical transduction principle of nucleic-acid nanostructures tethered to a graphene transistor and oscillating in an alternating electric field, 2) Achieve rapid, high-sensitivity nucleic-acid detection by integrating the nanomechanoelectrical transduction with transversal electrophoresis. The research project is highly innovative because it departs from the status quo of electrical nucleic-acid sensors, which directly convert the occurrence of probe-target nucleic-acid hybridization into electrical response, by implementing a new nanomechanoelectrical transduction pathway relying on the intrinsic difference in pliability, an intrinsic mechanical property, between unpaired and paired DNA strands. The expected outcomes of this project include a comprehensive understanding of the nanomechanoelectrical transduction principle for maximizing the multiplexity, selectivity, and sensitivity in nucleic-acid detection (specific aim 1) and accomplishing ultra-high sensitivity and time-efficient nucleic-acid detection based on a micro setup (specific aim 2). These outcomes are expected to generate significant positive impact on bioengineering advancement and rapid, accurate point-of-care nucleic-acid testing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目的目的是开发一种新的方法来检测遗传材料，例如脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）和核糖核酸（RNA），将高灵敏度与速度独特地结合起来，以克服现有技术的局限性。该项目将导致遗传材料检测的紧凑，快速，准确和用户友好的设备。这些设备通过测量遗传材料在外部电场振动时的电响应来运行。这种创新具有彻底改变生物工程的潜力，从而可以对遗传材料进行更有效的测试，尤其是在没有高级实验室设施的地区。因此，它有望增强大流行管理和全球医疗保健。该项目的一个关键方面是其教育外展。该计划旨在吸引各个层次的学生，从幼儿园到大学，特别强调妇女和群体通常在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域中所代表的妇女和群体。该项目设想了学术机构，行业和其他主要组织之间的合作。这种伙伴关系对于进一步推进该领域并确保拟议研究的广泛应用和影响至关重要。对低增强核酸 - 酸性低聚物的无扩大电子检测对促进各种疾病的护理点诊断具有巨大的希望。但是，已知的全电动方法难以同时实现高灵敏度和快速检测。这项拟议的研究的目的是开发一种纳米力机电转导方法，并将其与横向横向的电泳相结合到微流体通道的纵轴，以通过两个数量级来提高核酸检测的敏感性和时间效率。为了达到总体目标，将满足以下特定目标：1）确定核酸 - 酸性纳米结构的纳米力机械转导原理，这些纳米结构将纳米电场束缚在石墨烯晶体管上并在交替的电场中振荡，2）实现快速，高敏感性核酸检测，通过对纳米机械式构造进行集成型纳米机械构造。该研究项目具有很高的创新性，因为它偏离了电核酸传感器的现状，该传感器直接通过实现新的纳米力学转导途径，依赖于羽毛性差异，依赖于多种物质的固有性，并配对依从物质，通过实现一种新的纳米力学转导途径，直接将探针靶向核酸酸 - 酸性杂交的发生转化为电响应。该项目的预期结果包括对核酸检测中的多重性，选择性和敏感性最大化的纳米力机械转导原理的全面理解（特定的目标1）以及实现超高敏感性和基于Micro Setup（特定目标2）的超高敏感性和时间效率核酸酸检测。预计这些结果将对生物工程的进步产生重大积极影响，并快速，准确的护理核酸酸测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为值得通过基金会的知识分子的智力优点和更广泛的影响来通过评估来获得支持。