Rapid quantification of biomolecules in a selectively functionalized nanofluidic biosensor and method thereof
A method and device for the rapid quantification of biomolecules ( 320 ) present in a nanochannel ( 210 ) is claimed. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel concept of liquid actuation and selectively functionalized surfaces in a nanochannel that create a concentration gradient of transitory immobilized biomolecules ( 340 ) across the nanochannel. The present concept enables the quantification of biomolecular interactions of interest ( 320 ).
1. A biosensor for detecting and quantifying fluorescently-labeled biomolecules; said biosensor comprising a nanochannel defined between two substrates and containing one or more selectively functionalized areas on which are immobilized biomarkers, said nanochannel further defined by a lateral input aperture and a lateral output aperture, said input aperture is designed to allow a solution containing biomolecules to enter said nanochannel, and said output aperture contains or is in contact with a driving component that drives said solution through said nanochannel by capillarity.
2. Biosensor according to claim 1 wherein said biomarkers biologically or chemically interact with specific biomolecules and/or do not interact with non-specific biomolecules contained in said solution.
3. Biosensor according to claim 1 wherein the substrates are made of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, glass, plastic and oxide compounds.
4. Biosensor according to claim 1 wherein non-functionalized surfaces inside the nanochannel and the lateral apertures contain a thin layer of material selected from the group consisting of metallic, plastic and oxide compounds, having a thickness between 1 nm and 1000 nm.
5. Biosensor according to claim 1 wherein the lateral apertures have an area from 100 nm 2 to 20 mm 2 and the nanochannel a height between 2 nm and 1000 nm, a width between 2 nm and 20 mm, and a length between 2 nm and 20 mm.
6. An array comprising several biosensors as defined in claim 1 , said biosensors being fixed inside a capsule system or on a surface.
7. An assembly comprising one or more biosensors as defined in claim 1 and comprising optical means for fluorescence excitation and detection.
8. The assembly according to claim 7 wherein said optical means is a fluorescence measurement unit comprising a detector which is a single-photon detector.
9. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the single-photon detector is a detector array (CMOS or CCD), an avalanche photodiode (APD), or a photomultiplier tube (PMT).