Sensing method for biopolymers and sensing device therefor
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a highly sensitive sensing device for biopolymers which detects the magnetic signal generated from a labeled biopolymer under AC magnetic field using thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles as a probe.
1. A sensing device for target biopolymers comprising;
(a) a supporting cylinder configured for binding thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles having a critical solution temperature across which the particles have the ability to aggregate or disperse with cooling or heating to a ligand for the target biopolymers, and to label the target biopolymers in solution with said thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles bound with said ligand using a biopolymer reaction;
(b) a pump configured to add ligand free thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles before the measurement of the magnetic signal which is performed after the biopolymer reaction; and
(c) a cryostat configured to aggregate the thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles and enlarge the aggregate of said thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles by keeping at a temperature at which the thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles aggregate;
(d) a sliding mechanism configured to transfer the biopolymer labeled with said aggregated and enlarged aggregate of the thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles;
(e) a device configured to apply an AC magnetic field to said biopolymer;
(f) a SQUID magnetic sensor positioned near the sample of the biopolymer and positioned above the cryostat, and
(g) a device configured to measure a larger magnetic signal from the biopolymer compared with a magnetic signal obtained when said ligand free thermo-responsive magnetic nano particles are not added.
2. The sensing device for biopolymers according to claim 1 , wherein the ligand is an antibody and the biopolymer reaction is an antigen-antibody reaction.
3. The sensing device for biopolymers according to claim 1 , wherein
the thermo-responsive magnetic nano-particles comprise a thermo-responsive polymer and magnetic nano-particles;
the thermo-responsive polymer is a polymer having a lower critical solution temperature or an upper critical solution temperature;
the magnetic nano-particle are particles comprising dextran and an oxide magnetic material;
the polymer having lower critical solution temperature comprises an N-isopropylacrylamide monomer; and
the polymer having upper critical solution temperature comprises an N-acryloylglycinamide monomer.
4. The sensing device for biopolymers according to claim 1 , wherein the thermo-responsive magnetic nano-particles comprises a thermo-responsive polymer and magnetic nano-particles; wherein
the thermo-responsive polymer comprises N-isopropylacrylamide monomers or N-acryloylglicinamide monomers, and the magnetic nano-particles comprise dextran and ferrite.