1. Terahertz chemical microscope for label-free detection of protein complex.
- Author
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Kiwa, Toshihiko, Kondo, Yousuke, Minami, Yuji, Kawayama, Iwao, Tonouchi, Masayoshi, and Tsukada, Keiji
- Subjects
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SILICON compounds , *SAPPHIRES , *FEMTOSECOND lasers , *BIOTIN , *AVIDIN , *MICROSCOPES - Abstract
A terahertz (THz) chemical microscope (TCM) has been proposed and developed for label-free analysis of the interactions of proteins, including immune reactions. A SiO2/Si/sapphire plate was fabricated and emitted THz pulses from the sapphire side using a femtosecond laser. The amplitude of a THz pulse depends on the chemical potential of the SiO2 surface. As an initial demonstration, a biotin–avidin complex was analyzed using TCM. Results indicate that biotin concentrations of up to 10-12 mol/l could be detected, suggesting that a high sensitivity immunoassay system can be realized using this method. The distribution of the THz peak amplitude was measured, reflecting the distribution of the biotin–avidin complex on the plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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