Biopolymer sensor and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802374-B2
Application number	US-201313963952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Nov 3, 2006
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a biopolymer sensor including providing a biopolymer, processing the biopolymer to yield a biopolymer matrix solution, adding a biological material in the biopolymer matrix, providing a substrate, casting the matrix solution on the substrate, and drying the biopolymer matrix solution to form a solidified biopolymer sensor on the substrate. A biopolymer sensor is also provided that includes a solidified biopolymer film with an embedded biological material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A biopolymer sensor device, comprising:
a solidified silk fibroin film, wherein the solidified silk fibroin film is characterized by beta-sheet secondary structure;
at least one biologically active material, which is embedded in the solidified silk fibroin film and/or coated on a surface of the solidified silk fibroin film;
wherein the solidified silk fibroin film is or comprises an optically active component selected from the group consisting of a lens, a microlens array, a nanolens array, an optical grating, a pattern generator, a beam diffuser, a beam homogenizer, and a beam reshaper,
wherein the optically active component and biologically active material are selected and arranged so that the biopolymer sensor device exhibits an optical signature when interrogated by incident electromagnetic radiation, and
wherein the optical signature is altered when the biopolymer sensor device is exposed to at least one substance and/or environmental feature.

2. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the solidified silk fibroin film further comprises a biopolymer selected from a group consisting of chitosan, collagen, gelatin, agarose, chitin, polyhydroxyalkanoates, pullan, starch amylose amylopectin, cellulose, hyaluronic acid, and combinations thereof.

3. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one biological material is selected from the group consisting of red blood cells, horseradish peroxidase, phenolsulfonphthalein, a nucleic acid, a dye, a cell, an antibody, enzymes, peroxidase, lipase, amylose, organophosphate dehydrogenase, ligases, restriction endonucleases, ribonucleases, DNA polymerases, glucose oxidase, laccase, cells, viruses, proteins, peptides, small molecules, drugs, dyes, amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, DNA, RNA, RNAi, lipids, nucleotides, aptamers, carbohydrates, chromophores, light emitting organic compounds, luciferin, carotenes and light emitting inorganic compounds, chemical dyes, antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, light harvesting compounds, chlorophyll, bacteriorhodopsin, protorhodopsin, porphyrins, and electronically active compounds, and combinations thereof.

4. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the biopolymer sensor device is designed to detect the at least one substance and/or environmental feature.

5. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the environmental feature is selected from a group consisting of chemicals, changes in chemicals, pH, moisture vapor, redox state, metals, light, specific proteins, specific viruses, prions, and stress levels.

6. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the exhibited optical signature or the altered optical signature is a diffraction pattern or a refraction pattern.

7. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the solidified silk fibroin film has an RMS surface roughness of less than 5 nm when features of the patterned structure are as small as 75 nm.

8. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the biopolymer sensor device is a three-dimensional stack of individual solidified biopolymer films.

9. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one biological material embedded in and/or coated on the solidified silk fibroin film reacts with at least one substance and/or environmental feature of interest to be detected.

10. The biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is or comprises optical radiation.

11. A method of manufacturing a biopolymer sensor according to claim 1 , the method comprising steps of:
providing a substrate, wherein a surface of the substrate has a patterned structure thereon;
providing a biopolymer matrix solution comprising at least one biologically active material;
depositing the biopolymer matrix solution on the patterned surface of the substrate; and
drying the biopolymer matrix solution to form a solidified biopolymer film having a surface that is in contact with the patterned surface of the substrate, such that the contacted surface of the film is characterized by an imprint transferred from the patterned surface of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biopolymer matrix solution is an aqueous silk fibroin solution having approximately 1.0 wt % to 30 wt % silk, inclusive.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biopolymer is selected from a group consisting of chitosan, collagen, gelatin, agarose, chitin, polyhydroxyalkanoates, pullan, starch amylose amylopectin, cellulose, hyaluronic acid, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one biologically active material is selected from a group consisting of red blood cells, horseradish peroxidase, phenolsulfonphthalein, a nucleic acid, a dye, a cell, an antibody, enzymes, peroxidase, lipase, amylose, organophosphate dehydrogenase, ligases, restriction endonucleases, ribonucleases, DNA polymerases, glucose oxidase, laccase, cells, viruses, proteins, peptides, small molecules, drugs, dyes, amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, DNA, RNA, RNAi, lipids, nucleotides, aptamers, carbohydrates, chromophores, light emitting organic compounds, luciferin, carotenes and light emitting inorganic compounds, chemical dyes, antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, light harvesting compounds, chlorophyll, bacteriorhodopsin, protorhodopsin, and porphyrins and electronically active compounds, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising a step of annealing the solidified biopolymer sensor.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the pattern includes an array of at least one of holes and pits.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising a step of removing the film from the substrate.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising a step of detecting the signature.

19. An oxygen sensor, comprising the biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the optically active component is an optical diffraction grating, wherein the at least one biologically active material is hemoglobin or red blood cells with hemoglobin present within the red blood cells.

20. The oxygen sensor device of claim 19 , wherein the device is characterized in that the optical signature is altered when oxygen is bound to the hemoglobin or the hemoglobin present within the red blood cells or removed from the hemoglobin or the hemoglobin present within the red blood cells.

21. An environmental sensor, comprising the biopolymer sensor device of claim 1 .

22. The environmental sensor of claim 21 , wherein the optically active component is an optical diffraction grating, wherein the at least one biologically active material is selected from the group consisting of proteins, peptides, DNA, RNA, enzymes, protein complexes, viruses, cells, and antibodies.

Assignees

• Univ Tufts

Inventors

• Kaplan David L
• Omenetto Fiorenzo
• Lawrence Brian
• Cronin-Golomb Mark
• Georgakoudi Irene

Classifications

• B29D11/0074 Primary

  Production of other optical elements not provided for in B29D11/00009- B29D11/0073 · CPC title

• B29C41/02 Primary

  for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title