Beads-driven aptamer selection Within the project called ISyPeM

							Beads-­‐driven	
  aptamer	
  selection	
  
	
  
Master	
  project	
  for	
  1	
  student	
  
	
  
Within	
   the	
   project	
   called	
   ISyPeM	
   (Intelligent	
   Integrated	
   Systems	
   for	
   Personalized	
  
Medicine)	
   the	
   CLSE	
   Laboratory	
   is	
   designing	
   a	
   biosensor	
   able	
   to	
   measure	
   drug	
  
concentrations	
   in	
   biological	
   fluids	
   such	
   as	
   plasma	
   and	
   capillary	
   blood	
   samples.	
   The	
  
ISyPeM	
   project	
   aims	
   at	
   the	
   development	
   of	
   advanced	
   technologies	
   for	
   assessing	
  
drug	
   response	
   by	
   measuring	
   drug	
   concentrations,	
   providing	
   drug	
   treatment	
  
indications	
   based	
   on	
   processing	
   of	
   statistical	
   and	
   personal	
   data,	
   and	
   enabling	
   the	
  
seamless	
  monitoring	
  and	
  delivery	
  of	
  drugs	
  by	
  integrated	
  silicon-­‐based	
  systems.	
  
We	
   develop	
   and	
   constructed	
   a	
   biosensor-­‐chip	
   with	
   different	
   electrodes	
   size	
   (from	
  
1mm	
  to	
  50	
  μm)	
  in	
  gold/platinum,	
  able	
  to	
  detect	
  minimal	
  electrical	
  currents	
  via	
  cyclic	
  
voltammetry.	
   In	
   order	
   to	
   sense	
   the	
   specific	
   drug,	
   we	
   couple	
   the	
   electrodes	
   with	
   a	
  
biological	
  interface	
  based	
  on	
  DNA/RNA	
  aptamers.	
  Selected	
  aptamers	
  will	
  recognise	
  
the	
  drug	
  molecules,	
  and	
  deliver	
  an	
  electrochemical	
  signal	
  to	
  the	
  electrode.	
  We	
  are	
  
currently	
   exploring	
   post-­‐binding	
   detection	
   system	
   based	
   on	
   Ferrocenium,	
   with	
   a	
  
signal-­‐ON	
  configuration.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  aim	
  of	
  the	
  Master	
  project	
  is	
  to	
  set	
  up	
  a	
  pilot	
  aptamer-­‐selection	
  method,	
  based	
  
on	
  Nanoparticles	
  and	
  Oligomere-­‐Conformation	
  Switch,	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  select	
  and	
  identify	
  
a	
   DNA	
   aptamer	
   suitable	
   for	
   signal-­‐OFF	
   Ferrocenium-­‐based	
   detection	
   of	
   the	
  
chemotherapeutic	
  drug	
  Imatinib,	
  and	
  for	
  the	
  anti-­‐HIV	
  drug	
  Efavirenz.	
  Assessment	
  of	
  
binding	
  specificity	
  and	
  sensitivity	
  will	
  be	
  performed	
  first	
  on	
  SPR	
  and	
  then	
  on	
  chip.	
  	
  
	
  
75%	
  Molecular	
  biology	
  experiments	
  
25%	
  Surface	
  Plasmon	
  Resonance	
  tests	
  
	
  
Contact:	
  Anna	
  Ferretti	
  –	
  Fabio	
  Spiga	
  (anna.ferretti@epfl.ch,	
  fabio.spiga@epfl.ch)