Nanofluidic biosensor for the investigation of catalytic enzyme activities on the single-event level

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Bernhard Wolfrum
• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: from 2007 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 46158184

The project will focus on the electrical detection of the catalytic activity of single enzymes. To this end, a new technique will be developed, which will improve the sensitivity of existing redox-based detection methods by orders of magnitude. This increase in performance will be achieved by employing a novel biosensor based on state-of-the-art nanotechnology fabrication methods. The biosensor will exhibit two electrodes integrated in a nanofluidic channel. Rapid redox-cycling of a redox-active compound between the two closely spaced electrodes will permit the amperometric detection of single molecules inside the active region of the channel.The ability to electrochemically detect single redox-active biomolecules represents a great improvement to existing biosensor systems. From a fundamental point of view, the technique will, for the first time, permit electrochemical studies of biocatalysis at the single-event level. Specifically, we propose to monitor real-time traces of the production of redox-active molecules catalyzed by the enzyme tyrosinase. This will allow probing the kinetics of a single catalyst and to elucidate its mechanisms on a microscopic level.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Netherlands
• Hosts: Professor Dr. Cees Dekker; Dr. Serge Lemay