Functionalized Nanofiber Meshes Enhance Immunosorbent Assays

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Three-dimensional substrates with high surface-to-volume ratios are crucial for advanced immunosorbent assays.
• Existing substrates often face limitations in protein binding capacity and nonspecific binding.
• Integration with microfluidics and nanosensing elements demands novel biomaterial solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a library of bioactive and antifouling electrospun nanofiber substrates.
• To create water-insoluble copolymers with both biotin (bioactive) and triethylene glycol (TEG) (antifouling) functionalities.
• To evaluate the protein binding capacity and performance of these nanofiber meshes in immunosorbent assays.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of copolymers from 7-oxanorbornene monomers.
• Electrospinning of porous three-dimensional nanofiber meshes.
• Quantification of streptavidin binding using confocal microscopy.
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for protein detection under static and flow conditions.

Main Results:

• Developed water-insoluble copolymers with specific bioactive (biotin) and antifouling (TEG) properties.
• Electrospun nanofiber meshes demonstrated specific streptavidin binding and minimized nonspecific protein adsorption.
• Nanofiber meshes showed superior performance compared to traditional polystyrene plates in protein binding assays under flow conditions.

Conclusions:

• Bioactive and antifouling electrospun nanofiber meshes are effective platforms for advanced immunosorbent assays.
• These novel substrates exhibit enhanced protein binding capacity and reduced nonspecific binding.
• The developed materials are suitable for integration into microfluidic-based biosensors and future immunosorbent assay applications.