Separation particles
View Patent ↗A composition comprising colloidal Fe 3 O 4 particles coated with streptavidin is disclosed. These particles can be used in a method for separating biotinylated compounds from a solution in which the biotinylated compounds bind to the streptavidin-coated particles which are attracted to a surface by a magnet. Also disclosed is a method for making said streptavidin-coated composition, said method comprising the steps of forming colloidal Fe 3 O 4 particles by mixing aqueous FeCl 2 with aqueous FeCl 3 , adding aliquots of the mixture to an alkaline solution and adding streptavidin.
1. A composition consisting of colloidal Fe 3 O 4 particles coated with a biotin-binding protein.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the biotin-binding protein is avidin or streptavidin.
3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the biotin-binding protein is streptavidin.
4. A method of immobilising a biotinylated compound comprising incubating said biotinylated compound in a solution in the presence of the composition as claimed in claim 1 .
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the biotinylated compound is a biotin labeled with a substance selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid molecule, a protein, and a peptide.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising the step of separating the biotinylated compound and the composition from said solution.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said separating step further comprises the step of magnetically attracting the biotinylated compound and the composition to a surface.