Exploiting resistive pulse sensing for the detection of biomarkers

Having a robust and reliable assay that can be used by clinician inside or outside the hospital laboratory is vital for diagnosing and monitoring the health of a population.The aim of this PhD was to build a foundation of knowledge that could be used to utilise resistive pulse sensing (RPS) coupled with nanoparticles as a platform for biomarker detection. The target of interest, and the overall goal of this thesis, was the prion protein in human blood,which is used for the detection of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD). There is no standard detection method for this disease, instead doctors rely on a series of post-mortem tests to determine a diagnosis of an individual. A few assays have been developed, but due to their selectivity issues, and the fact they can take many hours, or days, they are not currently used. This PhD combines the use of RPS with deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)modified particles as a label free sensor that allows the characterisation of ananalyte bound to DNA modified particles. [Continues.]