Progress in the application of vertically-aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF) as parallel subcellular and molecular-scale probes for biological manipulation and monitoring is reported. VACNFs possess many attributes that make them very attractive for implementation as functional, nanoscale features of microfabricated devices. For example, they can be synthesized at precise locations upon a substrate, can be grown many microns long, and feature sharp, nano-dimensioned tips. This, and their needlelike, vertical orientation upon a substrate, makes them particularly attractive as multielement cellular scale probes or as a parallel embodiment of traditional single-point microinjection or microelectrophysiological systems. We will overview our progress with fabricating and characterizing several embodiments of VACNF cell probing systems, which all feature arrays of nanoscale electrochemically-active probing regions at the tips of individually electrically-addressed nanofiber elements. We also overview our techniques of integrating these probing structures with intact cells and how these structures may be used on a massively parallel basis for measurement and control around and within viable cells.
The self-assembling and controlled synthesis properties of vertically-aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF) have been exploited to provide parallel subcellular and molecular-scale probes for biological manipulation and monitoring. VACNFs possess many attributes that make them very attractive for implementation as functional, nanoscale features of microfabricated devices. For example, they can be synthesized at precise locations upon a substrate, can be grown many
microns long, and feature sharp, nano-dimensioned tips. They also exhibit characteristic electrochemical responses similar to conventionally studied materials such as the edge plane of pyrolytic graphite and surface-activated glassy carbon. This, and their needlelike, vertical orientation upon a substrate, makes them particularly attractive as multielement cellular scale probes or as a parallel embodiment of traditional single-point microinjection or
microelectrophysiological systems. We will overview our efforts at fabricating and characterizing several embodiments of VACNF cell probing systems. We will also overview surface modification techniques that exploit the rich surface chemistries of VACNF arrays to allow immobilization of active enzymes and transcriptionally active DNA, which can provide sensitivity to specific biological analytes and application of the nanofiber architecture for controlled biochemical manipulation within the cell. Finally, we will overview our techniques of integrating these probing structures with intact
cells and how these structures may be used on a massively parallel basis for measurement and control of the intracellular domain.
Conference Committee Involvement (4)
Smart Biomedical and Physiological Sensor Technology V
10 September 2007 | Boston, MA, United States
Smart Medical and Biomedical Sensor Technology III
25 October 2005 | Boston, MA, United States
Smart Medical and Biomedical Sensor Technology II
25 October 2004 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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