Nanoparticle biosensor, method of preparing same and uses thereof

1. A nanoparticle biosensor comprising:

a. a magnetic core comprising cobalt ferrite;

b. a silica layer which surrounds the magnetic core, wherein the silica layer comprises amino groups or thiol groups;

c. an outer metal layer which surrounds the silica layer, wherein the outer metal layer comprises a gold layer, or a silver layer covered by an additional gold layer; and

d. a peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) immobilized onto the outer metal layer.

2. The nanoparticle biosensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the magnetic core has a diameter of 4 nm to 30 nm;

the silica layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 20 nm; and

the outer metal layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 200 nm.

3. A method of preparing the nanoparticle biosensor of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:

a. preparing a colloid of magnetic particles comprising cobalt ferrite, the magnetic particles having a diameter between 4 nm and 30 nm,

b. conditioning the colloid so that it is stable at a pH greater than 7;

c. coating the magnetic particles with silica in a basic medium to form a silica layer surrounding the magnetic particles, the silica layer having a thickness between 1 nm and 20 nm;

d. chemically functionalizing the surface of the coated magnetic particles obtained in step c) to introduce amino or thiol groups;

e. further coating the functionalized magnetic particles of step d) with a metal layer, the metal layer comprising a gold layer or a silver layer covered by an additional gold layer;

f. immobilizing a biosensor molecule comprising a peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) on the surface of the magnetic particle resulting from step e).

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step e) comprises the following sub-steps:

i. synthesizing water-stable metal nanoparticles having a diameter between 3 and 20 nm,

ii. chemisorbing the metal nanoparticles on the resulting magnetic particles of step d), and

iii. growing a metal layer on the product obtained in sub-step (ii) and controlling the thickness of the metal layer between 1 and 200 nm.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step c) comprises forming the silica layer comprising tetraethoxyorthosilicate.

6. A method of preparing a microarray or a micromatrix comprising forming a microarray or micromatrix wherein each point of the microarray or the micromatrix comprises a nanoparticle biosensor according to claim 1 .

7. A method of using the nanoparticle biosensor according to claim 1 for at least one of the following applications:

a. detection of viral, bacterial, fungal or protozoan type pathogens

b. characterization of mutations or genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) in said agents which can make them resistant to drugs or facilitate the escape from vaccines,

c. characterization of mutations or SNPs in human or animal genes related to diseases or prone to them,

d. detection of specific tumor markers,

e. detection of specific microorganisms, pathogens or contaminants in food,

f. detection of the presence of transgenic or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food,

g. detection of microorganisms or toxins contaminating the environment.

8. A method of determining existence or absence of a biological molecule in a sample, comprising the steps of:

a. reacting a nanoparticle biosensor according to claim 1 with the sample;

b. capturing the nanoparticle biosensor by magnetic sedimentation,

c. determining whether hybridization occurred in step a),

d. deducing existence of the biological molecule in the sample if hybridization occurred in step a);

e. optionally quantifying concentration of the biological molecule in the sample.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step c) comprises spectroscopic detection.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spectroscopic detection uses ultraviolet radiation.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spectroscopic detection uses visible radiation.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spectroscopic detection uses infrared radiation.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the spectroscopic detection comprises measuring the absorption of the nanoparticles by transmission or attenuated total reflection or in the grazing angle mode.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the measurement of the absorption of the nanoparticles by transmission integrates the Fourier Transform technique for the resolution of spectra and uses barium fluoride or calcium fluoride transmission windows or another type of window transparent to infrared radiation.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the windows transparent to infrared radiation adopt a flow configuration.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spectroscopic detection comprises detection using Raman spectroscopy.

17. A method for detecting an electrochemical probe which is carried out by means of linear, cyclic or pulse electrochemical techniques, which probe is electrostatically attracted by the negative charges carried by DNA and RNA strands hybridized with neutral PNA strands immobilized on the nanoparticle biosensor of claim 1 .

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the electrochemical probe is a molecule that is cationic in its oxidized state or neutral or anionic in its reduced state.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the electrochemical probe in its neutral or negatively charged state can be catalytically re-oxidized to its positive charge state by an enzyme or another catalyst.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the catalyst obtains electrons from the electrochemical probe and transfers them to a suitable reagent.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the reagent is hydrogen peroxide.

22. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the enzyme is a peroxidase.

23. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the probe is the thionine molecule.