Secondary Structure in Enzyme-Inspired Polymer Catalysts Impacts Water Oxidation Efficiency.

Protein structure plays an essential role on their stability, functionality, and catalytic activity. In this work, the interplay between the β-sheet structure and its catalytic implications to the design of enzyme-inspired materials is investigated. Here, inspiration is drawn from the active sites and β-sheet rich structure of the highly efficient multicopper oxidase (MCO) to engineer a bio-inspired electrocatalyst for water oxidation utilizing the abundant metal, copper.

Expanding the application of graphene vertical devices to dual femtomolar detection of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain in serum and saliva.

The emergence of the graphene-based hybrid electrical-electrochemical vertical device (EEVD) has introduced a promising nanostructured biosensor tailored for point-of-care applications. In this study, we present an innovative EEVD capable of simultaneously detecting the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in both serum and saliva. The foundation of the EEVD lies in a poly-neutral red-graphene heterojunction, which has been enhanced with a bioconjugate of gold nanoparticles and antibodies.

From research to market: correlation between publications, patent filings, and investments in development and production of technological innovations in biosensors.

As the global population grows and science and technology development evolve, fulfilling basic human needs has been even more linked to technological solutions. In this review, we present an overview of the biosensor market and discuss the factors that make certain countries more competitive than others in terms of technology and innovation and how this is reflected in the trends in publication and patent filling. Additionally, we expose briefly how the COVID-19 pandemic acts as a catalyst for the integration of research and development, business, and innovation sectors to bring solutions and ideas that have been predicted as tendencies for the future.

Graphene-based hybrid electrical-electrochemical point-of-care device for serologic COVID-19 diagnosis.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemics highlighted the need of sensitive, selective, and easy-to-handle biosensing devices. In the contemporary scenario, point-of-care devices for mass testing and infection mapping within a population have proven themselves as of primordial importance. Here, we introduce a graphene-based Electrical-Electrochemical Vertical Device (EEVD) point-of-care biosensor, strategically engineered for serologic COVID-19 diagnosis.

On the Weak Binding and Spectroscopic Signature of SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Interaction with RNA.

The SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 (nsp14), known as exoribonuclease is encoded from the large polyprotein of viral genome and is a major constituent of the transcription replication complex (TRC) machinery of the viral RNA synthesis. This protein is highly conserved among the coronaviruses and is a potential target for the development of a therapeutic drug. Here, we report the SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 expression, show its structural characterization, and ss-RNA exonuclease activity through vibrational and electronic spectroscopies.

Assessing electron transfer reactions and catalysis in multicopper oxidases with operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Here we propose an experimental setup based on operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to understand why copper-containing oxidoreductase enzymes show exceptional performance as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). An electrode based on carbon nanoparticles organized in mesoporous structures with bilirubin oxidase (BOD) was developed to be used in a home-made operando XAS electrochemical cell, and we probed the electron transfer under ORR regime. In the presence of molecular oxygen, the BOD cofactor containing 4 copper ions require an overpotential about 150 mV to be reduced as compared to that in the absence of oxygen.

Advances in enzyme bioelectrochemistry.

Bioelectrochemistry can be defined as a branch of Chemical Science concerned with electron-proton transfer and transport involving biomolecules, as well as electrode reactions of redox enzymes. The bioelectrochemical reactions and system have direct impact in biotechnological development, in medical devices designing, in the behavior of DNA-protein complexes, in green-energy and bioenergy concepts, and make it possible an understanding of metabolism of all living organisms (e.g.

Ethanol generation, oxidation and energy production in a cooperative bioelectrochemical system.

Integrating in situ biofuel production and energy conversion into a single system ensures the production of more robust networks as well as more renewable technologies. For this purpose, identifying and developing new biocatalysts is crucial. Herein, is reported a bioelectrochemical system consisting of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, wherein both function cooperatively for ethanol production and its bioelectrochemical oxidation.

D-mannitol sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer on electrode modified with reduced graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles.

An electrochemical sensor for D-mannitol based on molecularly imprinted polymer on electrode modified with reduced graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles was developed in this present work. The sensor was constructed for the first time via the electropolymerization of o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) over a surface containing reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) in the presence of D-mannitol molecules. The surface modification with AuNP/RGO-GCE facilitated the charge transfer processes of [Fe(CN)], which was used as an electrochemical probe.

Detection of Several Carbohydrates Using Boron-doped Diamond Electrodes Modified with Nickel Hydroxide Nanoparticles.

In this work the electrooxidations of glucose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose, xylose and arabinose are studied at a nickel hydroxide nanoparticle modified boron-doped diamond electrode and compared to an unmodified electrode. These carbohydrates are very important in the second-generation ethanol production process. Nickel hydroxide modified boron-doped diamond was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray.