Sensing with Synthetic Aptamers

In this project we wish to develop robust and highly selective electronic biosensor arrays that can be easily connected to simple handheld readers for point-of-care and field applications and used by non-specialised staff for detecting different molecular targets. Imagine a low-cost, portable device that can be used in remote areas for checking water supplies for contamination or by a patient in their own home for monitoring a response to drug treatment. The idea demands innovative materials that can function as the recognition element in an electrochemical sensor and pioneering methods for realising selective recognition of multiple molecular structures. The solution is to design and select a bespoke range of synthetic aptamers (which we term synaptamers) that can recognise and bind molecular targets with high specificity and selectivity. We are developing a novel selection process employing a “fragment-based” approach in conjunction with affinity detection methods. Both the discovery of fragments and how to optimise or link them are significant challenges that will advance current knowledge and practice in this area.

This broad technology will be applied to exemplar applications where routine analysis by non-specialised personnel might be beneficial (point-of-care diagnostics, environmental/field sensors):
• Prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) – a small protein found in the blood, whose levels are raised in prostate cancer.
• PACs (legal and illicit pharmacologically active compounds) and other contaminants in surface, drinking and wastewater.
• Saxitoxin (a toxin of cyanobacteria) an agent with the potential for use in bioterrorism.
• Small molecule biomarkers implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

The project is aligned with important research themes within the University (Sensing & Healthcare) and the EPSRC (Healthcare Technologies). On this project there is the opportunity to collaborate with leading research groups in environmental chemistry and biosensing.