Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Chemistry (not Biochemistry)
Tiana Shaw - Clark Atlanta University
Co-Author(s): Michael Williams and James Reed, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA
Biotin-avidin technology is a widely explored interaction in bioscience. Biotin’s affinity for the protein avidin makes it ideal for protein and nucleic acid detection or purification methods. This strong interaction is often used in pretargeting strategies for cancer treatment. In most cases a probe molecule (antibody) is connected to a marker molecule (fluorophore or nanoparticle) through the biotin-avidin bridge. Biotinylated nanoparticles can play a role in improving this interaction and creating an electronic or optical detection method. Polyaniline is a polymer which can be easily functionalized to be specific for various biomolecules and has ideal sensor characteristics. In this study, we designed a process to functionalize polyaniline with biotin to create a biotin-avidin biosensor. We began with a 2-acetamidophenol which is a hydroxyl substituted aniline monomer. This monomer undergoes polymerization to yield Poly[2-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy)aniline]. The polymer’s hydroxyl group was functionalized by Steglich esterification which refluxes a carboxylic acid with an alcohol. This esterification drives the reaction and dehydrates the products shifting the equilibrium towards the product. In this reaction DCC (dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) activates the carboxylic acid of biotin to further reaction and DMAP (4-dimethlyaminopyridine) acts as the acyl transfer catalyst. The biotinylated polyaniline derivative was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Conductivity studies were used to explore the material’s effectiveness as an electronic sensor using a 4-point probe to measure resistivity.
Not SubmittedFunder Acknowledgement(s): This study was supported by a grant from NSF/CREST awarded to Ishrat Kahn PhD, Director for the Center of Functional Nanoscale Materials, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA.
Faculty Advisor: Michael Williams, mdwms@cau.edu