An immunoradiometric assay for human follicle stimulating hormone using a monoclonal antibody coupled to magnetisable cellulose

A simple immunoradiometric assay for human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH) was developed using a pair of monoclonal antibodies obtained from commercial sources. The system developed makes use of a capture antibody covalently coupled to magnetisable cellulose, which is a more economical and stable immunosorbent as compared to the other solid phases. The detector antibody is labeled with¹²⁵I using the chloramine-T oxidation method and purified by gel filtration. After initial cross-matching of the capture and detector antibodies, various assay parameters have been optimised. This assay does not show any significant cross reactivity with homologous hormones. A number of serum samples from men and women from reproductive age group was screened and compared with another commercially available kit (r=0.98). Sensitivity of the assay is 1.4 mIU/ml, interassay variation is <5% and intraassay variation around 15%. The assay is reproducible and sensitive enough for regular estimation of serum hFSH and is relatively inexpensive.     

Cu(I)‐Catalyzed Regioselective and Highly Efficient One‐Pot Synthesis of Novel 1,2,3‐Triazoles Decorated with Pyridine and Heterocyclic Amines

An efficient one‐pot synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles via the three‐component coupling reaction between propargyl bromide, secondary amines, and 3‐azidopyridine in the presence of CuI as catalyst has been presented. The reaction is highly regioselective and afforded novel 1,4‐disubstituted‐1,2,3‐triazoles in excellent yields by the [3 + 2] Huisgen cycloaddition reaction. This method avoids isolation and handling of terminal acetylenes. The ease of purification has made this methodology clean and safe for the synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles with a broad scope.     

A rapid sandwich immunoassay for human fetuin A using agarose-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified microtiter plate

A rapid sandwich immunoassay (IA) with enhanced signal response for human fetuin A (HFA) was developed by modifying the surface of a KOH-treated polystyrene microtiter plate (MTP) with agarose and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The agarose-APTES complex binds covalently to the hydroxyl moiety of the MTP plate to serve as a binding platform for bioconjugation of EDC-activated anti-HFA antibody (Ab) via carbodiimide coupling. The one-step kinetics-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabled the detection of HFA in 30 min with a limit of detection (LOD) and a linear range of 0.02 ng mL⁻¹ and 1–243 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. It detected HFA spiked in diluted human whole blood and serum, and HFA in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-plasma of patients with high precision similar to that of conventional ELISA. The anti-HFA Ab-bound agarose-functionalized MTPs retained their functional activity after 6 weeks of storage in 0.1 M PBS, pH 7.4 at 4 °C.     

Surface plasmon resonance-based immunoassay for procalcitonin

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor has been developed for rapid immunoassay of procalcitonin (PCT) with high detection sensitivity and reproducibility. The 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)-activated protein A (PrA), diluted in 1% (v/v) 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was dispensed on a KOH-treated Au-coated SPR chip, resulting in the covalent binding of PrA in 30 min. This “single-step” PrA immobilization strategy led to the oriented binding of the anti-PCT antibody (Ab) on a PrA-functionalized gold (Au) chip. The leach-proof immobilization procedure is five-fold faster than conventional counterparts, enabling high detection specificity and reproducibility. The IA detects 4–324 ng mL⁻¹ of PCT with a limit of detection (LOD) and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 4.2 ng mL⁻¹ and 9.2 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. It was capable of detecting PCT in real sample matrices and patient samples with high precision. The Ab-bound SPR chips were stable for more than five weeks.     

Cellphone-based devices for bioanalytical sciences

During the last decade, there has been a rapidly growing trend toward the use of cellphone-based devices (CBDs) in bioanalytical sciences. For example, they have been used for digital microscopy, cytometry, read-out of immunoassays and lateral flow tests, electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance based bio-sensing, colorimetric detection and healthcare monitoring, among others. Cellphone can be considered as one of the most prospective devices for the development of next-generation point-of-care (POC) diagnostics platforms, enabling mobile healthcare delivery and personalized medicine. With more than 6.5 billion cellphone subscribers worldwide and approximately 1.6 billion new devices being sold each year, cellphone technology is also creating new business and research opportunities. Many cellphone-based devices, such as those targeted for diabetic management, weight management, monitoring of blood pressure and pulse rate, have already become commercially-available in recent years. In addition to such monitoring platforms, several other CBDs are also being introduced, targeting e.g., microscopic imaging and sensing applications for medical diagnostics using novel computational algorithms and components already embedded on cellphones. This report aims to review these recent developments in CBDs for bioanalytical sciences along with some of the challenges involved and the future opportunities.

Role of silica coated magnetic nanoparticle on cell flocculation,lipid extraction and linoleic acid production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Abstract

In the present work, it has been observed that magnetic (Fe₃O₄) – silica core- shell nanoparticles helps in flocculation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells with simultaneous production of linoleic acid. The mean particle size in Dynamic light scattering (DLS) of the silica coated magnetic nanoparticle was estimated 444.7?nm. The characterization of nanoparticles was also performed by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). Apart from flocculation, it has been observed that in presence of magnetic silica core- shell nanoparticles the amount of lipid obtained was four times than that of control. On the contrary, in presence of these nanoparticles, linoleic acid (18:2) has been produced in Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells almost by 80% whereas, it has been noticed only 8.73% in control. This is the first report where the linoleic acid has been obtained as major component of microalgal fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) having important application in nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical sectors.     

Characterisation of nuclear fuel by spectroscopic evaluation of alpha autoradiographs

New methods for estimation of concentration and distribution of plutonium in (Th,Pu)O₂ MOX fuel samples have been attempted by spectroscopic analysis of SSNTD based alpha images using UV–Vis spectrophotometry and photoluminescence spectroscopy. (Th,Pu)O₂ MOX fuel samples having a large range of PuO₂ concentration, were subjected to this study and found beneficial when compared with the conventional analysis of alpha autoradiographs. UV–Vis absorbance and photoluminescence of the alpha autoradiograph showed linear decrease proportionally to PuO₂% in the fuel sample. Optical band gap was found to proportionally increase with PuO₂% in the fuel sample which was revealed in UV–Vis spectrophotometry.

     

Perspectives on electrochemical biosensing of COVID-19

Rapid detection of human coronavirus disease 2019, termed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 infection, is urgently needed for containment strategy owing to its unprecedented spreading. Novel biosensors can be deployed in remote clinical settings without central facilities for infection screening. Electrochemical biosensors serve as analytical tools for rapid detection of viral structure proteins, mainly spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, human immune responses, reactive oxygen species, viral ribonucleic acid, polymerase chain reaction by-products, and other potential biomarkers. The development of point-of-care testing devices is challenging due to the requirement of extensive validation, a time-consuming and expensive step. Together with specific biorecognition molecules, nanomaterial-based biosensors have emerged for the fast detection of early viral infections.