Pandana, H: Electronic DNA Detection

Spurred by the Human Genome Project, massive genetic profiling of myriad diseases is being widely sought. Despite high throughput and sensitivity the conventional workhorses, i.e., micorarrays and bead- based assays involve complicated protocols and considerable expense due to the need for fluorescent labeling. Consequently, their utility is limited only to handful of well-endowed institutions. This work attempts a low cost alternative suitable for point-of-care facilities deployment. A method of using biochips based on carbon nanotube field effect transistor arrays is proposed and the feasibility of using these sensors to detect the presence of specific DNA sequences, e.g. expressed genes, in a solution of DNA or RNA is demonstrated. This book provides an extensive review of current available DNA detection schemes, a detailed description of the carbon nanotube transistors, including modeling, fabrication and experimental setup, as well as results that demonstrate the efficacy for DNA detection. A section is also included describing a low-cost protein detection scheme based on gold nanoparticle surface plasmon resonant absorption.