Synthesis of hydrogel via click chemistry for DNA electrophoresis.

This work introduces a novel sieving gel for DNA electrophoresis using a classical click chemistry reaction, the copper (I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), to cross-link functional polymer chains. The efficiency of this reaction provides, under mild conditions, hydrogels with near-ideal network connectivity and improved physical properties. Hydrogel formation via click chemistry condensation of functional polymers does not involve the use of toxic monomers and UV initiation.

Bioengineered gold nanoparticles targeted to mesenchymal cells from patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome does not rise the inflammatory response and can be safely inhaled by rodents.

The use of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as drug delivery system represents a promising issue for diseases without effective pharmacological treatment due to insufficient local drug accumulation and excessive systemic toxicity. Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) represents about 70% of cases of chronic lung allograft dysfunction, the main challenge to long-term lung transplantation. It is believed that due to repeated insults to epithelial bronchiolar cells local inflammatory response creates a milieu that favors epithelial-mesenchymal transition and activation of local mesenchymal cells (MCs) leading to airway fibro-obliteration.

Click Chemistry Immobilization of Antibodies on Polymer Coated Gold Nanoparticles.

The goal of this work is to develop an innovative approach for the coating of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with a synthetic functional copolymer. This stable coating with a thickness of few nanometers provides, at the same time, stabilization and functionalization of the particles. The polymeric coating consists of a backbone of polydimethylacrylamide (DMA) functionalized with an alkyne monomer that allows the binding of azido modified molecules by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide/alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC, click chemistry).

Use of quantum dots as mass and fluorescence labels in microarray biosensing.

In this work, we demonstrate the efficacy of a Quantum Dot (QD) mass label strategy to enhance sensitivity in an interferometric technique called interferometric reflectance imaging sensor (IRIS). This biomass detection platform confers the advantage of absolute mass quantification and lower cost, easily implementable equipment. We discuss the advantages of this label when used in parallel with fluorescence detection.

Clickable Polymeric Coating for Oriented Peptide Immobilization.

A new methodology for the fabrication of an high-performance peptide microarray is reported, combining the higher sensitivity of a layered Si-SiO2 substrate with the oriented immobilization of peptides using a N,N-dimethylacrylamide-based polymeric coating that contains alkyne monomers as functional groups. This clickable polymer allows the oriented attachment of azido-modified peptides via a copper-mediated azide/alkyne cycloaddition. A similar coating that does not contain the alkyne functionality has been used as comparison, to demonstrate the importance of a proper orientation for facilitating the probe recognition and interaction with the target antibody.

One-pot phase transfer and surface modification of CdSe-ZnS quantum dots using a synthetic functional copolymer.

We present a facile, one-pot procedure for the organic-to-water phase transfer and biofunctionalization of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, or QDs) which employs a synthetic functional copolymer, namely poly(DMA-NAS-MAPS), consisting of three components: a surface interacting monomer, N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), a chemically reactive monomer, N-acryloyloxysuccinimide (NAS), and a silane monomer, [3-(methacryloyloxy)-propyl]-trimethoxysilane (MAPS). The nanocrystals were transferred to water by exploiting the amphiphilic character of the copolymer backbone. Hydrolyzed MAPS units contributed to improve the solubility of QDs in water, whereas NAS exhibited reactivity toward biomolecules.