Streptavidin functionalized polymer nanodots fabricated by visible light lithography

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Advanced fabrication techniques like two-photon polymerization (TPP) enable sub-diffraction limit polymer structuring.
• Visible light-based polymer structuring opens new avenues in biotechnology and tissue engineering.
• Functionalization of polymeric nanostructures is crucial for novel biotechnological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop polymer nanodots with high streptavidin affinity using TPP.
• To control streptavidin loading by precisely sizing the polymer nanodots.
• To demonstrate the functionality of bound streptavidin for subsequent molecular interactions.

Main Methods:

• Two-photon polymerization (TPP) for fabricating polymer nanodots.
• Controlled variation of nanodot size to regulate streptavidin loading.
• Quantification of streptavidin binding and biotin-binding capacity.

Main Results:

• Successful creation of polymer nanodots with high streptavidin affinity via TPP.
• Demonstrated control over streptavidin loading, achieving up to 100% loading on 100 nm dots.
• Confirmed functionality of bound streptavidin, with an average binding capacity of 0.7 biotin molecules per streptavidin.

Conclusions:

• Functionalized nanostructures serve as versatile platforms for biological experiments.
• Nanoscopic structures with selective streptavidin binding can act as linkers for biotinylated biomolecules.
• Potential applications include in-vitro sensing and lab-on-chip devices with limited surface areas.