Methods and systems for detecting bioanalytes
A sensing system and a method utilizing same for determining and/or monitoring a presence and/or level of an analyte in a sample are provided. The sensing system is made of a nanostructure, or a plurality of nanostructures, having covalently attached thereto and a hydrogel having associated therewith a sensing moiety which selectively interacts with the analyte and being configured such that upon contacting the analyte, the nanostructure(s) exhibit a detectable change in an electrical property.
1. A sensing system for determining and/or monitoring a presence and/or level of an analyte in a sample, wherein the sample is a biological sample and wherein the analyte is a bioanalyte, the system comprising a field effect transistor having a source electrode, a drain electrode, a gate electrode, and a channel between said source and drain electrodes, said channel being a semiconducting nanostructure having a hydrogel covalently attached thereto, said hydrogel having incorporated therein a sensing moiety which is a bioanalyte-specific reagent and being configured such that upon contacting the bioanalyte, said nanostructure exhibits a detectable change in an electrical property, said electrical property comprising electron density on a surface of said nanostructure, wherein upon contacting the analyte, said hydrogel exhibits a deformation, said deformation leading to said detectable change in said electrical property of said nanostructure, wherein said nanostructure is a silicon nanowire, and wherein said hydrogel is selected capable of impregnating a biological moiety while maintaining an activity of said biological moiety.
2. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the bioanalyte is a metabolite.
3. The sensing system of claim 2 , wherein said sensing moiety is a redox enzyme specific to said metabolite.
4. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the bioanalyte is a biomarker protein.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the bioanalyte is an antigen and said sensing moiety is an antibody specific to said antigen.
6. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogel is covalently attached to said nanostructure via a linking moiety.
7. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said deformation comprises a change in a volume of said hydrogel.
8. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said deformation comprises a change in spatial distribution of molecules and/or charge in the hydrogel.
9. The sensing system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said nanostructures.
10. The sensing system of claim 9 , wherein said hydrogel is covalently attached to at least two of said nanostructures.
11. The sensing system of claim 9 , wherein in at least one portion of said nanostructures said hydrogel has a first sensing moiety incorporated therein and/or thereon and in at least another portion of said nanostructures said hydrogel has a second sensing moiety incorporated therein and/or thereon, said first and second sensing moieties being different from one another.
12. The sensing system of claim 9 , further comprising at least one nanostructure having a hydrogel covalently attached thereto, said hydrogel has a non-sensing moiety incorporated therein and/or thereon.
13. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogel is in a form of a nanoparticle or in a form of a film.
14. The sensing system of claim 1 , being in a form of a skin patch.
15. A system comprising a sensing compartment comprising the sensing system of claim 1 , and at least one additional compartment being in communication with the sensing compartment.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein said at least one additional compartment is configured to contain at least a portion of said sample.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein said at least one additional compartment is configured to contain a therapeutically active agent.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein said additional compartment is configured to controllably release said therapeutically active agent.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein said additional compartment is configured to controllably release said therapeutically active agent responsively to said detectable change in electrical property of said nanostructure.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein said at least one additional compartment comprises an additional sensing system.
21. The system of claim 15 , being in a form of a skin patch.
22. A method of determining or monitoring a presence and/or a level of at least one bioanalyte in a biological sample, the method comprising contacting at least a portion of the biological sample with the sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said detectable change in said electrical property is indicative of the presence and/or level of the bioanalyte in the sample.
23. The method of claim 22 , being for diagnosing and/or monitoring a disease associated with said bioanalyte in a subject.
24. A method of determining or monitoring a presence and/or a level of at least one bioanalyte in a biological sample, the method comprising contacting at least a portion of the biological sample with the system of claim 15 , wherein said detectable change in said electrical property is indicative of the presence and/or level of the bioanalyte in the sample.
25. The method of claim 24 , being for diagnosing and/or monitoring a disease associated with said bioanalyte in a subject.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein said system further comprises a compartment configured for releasing a therapeutically active agent, the method being for determining and/or monitoring an efficacy of said therapeutic agent towards said disease in said subject and/or for treating said disease.