Sol-Gel Biochip Composition for Probe Immobilization on Untreated Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protein chip technologies face challenges in immobilizing proteins on glass substrates due to denaturation, inactivation, and degradation caused by differences in physical and chemical properties, leading to suboptimal performance and limited applicability to substrates that cannot be coated with high molecular weight synthetic coating agents.
Innovation Solution
A method for screening a sol composition that can immobilize probes on uncoated substrates, using a library of silicate monomers and additives, which are mixed in various ratios, and selecting compositions based on adhesion, appearance, and gelling time to achieve stable, specific, and high-density protein immobilization without surface treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surface treatment with high molecular weight synthetic coating agent is applied to glass substrate, then protein immobilization is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the surface treatment step by developing a sol composition that can directly immobilize proteins on uncoated substrates. The sol composition contains silane monomers and crosslinking agents that form a self-assembling matrix on the substrate surface, removing the need for separate coating agent application and simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining protein immobilization stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the immobilization system by using sol-gel chemistry with silane monomers (e.g., TMOS, TEOS, MTMS) and crosslinking agents. This chemical parameter change enables direct protein immobilization through silane-substrate bonding without requiring high molecular weight synthetic coating agents, thus reducing process complexity while maintaining reliability
2Reliability
If surface treatment with coating material is performed, then protein activity is maintained, but production time and process steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the substrate coating function and protein immobilization function into a single integrated sol composition application step. The sol composition simultaneously provides the coating matrix and the immobilization mechanism through silane crosslinking, eliminating the sequential steps of coating application followed by protein immobilization, thus reducing production time while maintaining protein activity
Solution Approach 2:
The sol composition is prepared in advance with pre-selected silane monomers and crosslinking agents that are optimized to form stable matrices on specific substrates. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the sol composition is applied to the substrate, it rapidly forms a functional immobilization matrix that preserves protein activity without requiring additional processing steps or time
3Reliability
If high molecular weight synthetic coating agent is used, then protein immobilization is achieved, but adaptability to different substrates is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal sol composition system based on silane chemistry that can adapt to multiple substrate types including glass, metal, and plastic. The silane monomers can bond to various substrate surfaces through hydrolysis and condensation reactions, providing a universal immobilization platform that maintains protein immobilization reliability across different substrate materials without requiring substrate-specific optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The sol composition allows for local optimization of immobilization properties by adjusting the ratio of different silane monomers and crosslinking agents based on the specific substrate and application requirements. This enables tailored immobilization characteristics for different substrates while maintaining the core silane-based mechanism, thus achieving both reliability and adaptability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enables the creation of sol-gel biochips with high immobilization rates and specificity, allowing for effective protein chip fabrication on untreated PMMA, gold, and silicon substrates, enhancing assay results and enabling mass production without the need for costly surface treatments.
Implementation Method 1
a sol-gel process is a technology which has been used to make a micro-structure by microprocessing, and in particular, it is a technology comprised of forming a binding net by a mild process and immobilizing biomolecules within the binding net
Implementation Method 2
a composition obtained by hydrolyzing a monomeric silicon compound having at least one hydrolysable or condensable group attached to the silicon atom of the compound
Implementation Method 3
measuring the adhesion, appearance, transmittance and gelling time of the spots formed
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for screening a sol composition for sol-gel biochips, which is used to immobilize a probe on a surface-untreated substrate, also relates to a sol composition screened by said method and a sol-gel biochip comprising said sol composition immobilized thereon. The sol composition screened by the disclosed method can be mixed with a probe, and the sol mixture can be integrated on 96-well plates, which are widely used in existing bioassays, without surface treatment. Also, the biochip can provide a sensitive and specific good analysis results because this immobilization methods of probe maintain the nature of probes without modification.