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University of Texas at Austin

Enzyme microspheres for biosensing and cell signaling perturbation

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Concentration of lactate in human blood or saliva is an important indicator for cardiac diseases. Conventional measurement of analytes in complex solution usually requires separation, which is time consuming. To bypass these problems, we developed enzyme based sensor arrays that rapidly and simultaneously analyze multiple analytes in solutions without separation. In our approach, porous agarose beads, with enzymes for L-lactate immobilized on them, were localized to wells etched into a silicon chip in a 5 + 7 array. Analysis was accomplished by measuring fluorescence signal difference generated by enzymes catalyzed reactions. In this thesis, I reported the development of a sensitive (detection limit [similar to] 5[Greek small letter mu]M) and rapid (within minutes) lactate assay using double-enzyme based sensor array. Lactate concentration in healthy people at rest was not detected partially due to enzyme inhibitions by protein adsorptions. Measurement of enzyme activity on individual beads is another research performed in this thesis. Success in this study should provide a more precise control over site-specific cellular manipulation by delivering a particle, decorated with optimal amount of effectors, into specific location of a living cell using optical trapping. In our approach, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was used as an effector to generate product emitting fluorescence signal. Enzyme activity on individual microsphere was evaluated by signal strength. Separation of a single or small number of beads was accomplished using methods based on microfabrication via multiphoton excitation. The fluorescence signal was not detected on single beads partially due to the enzyme inhibition due to BSA quenching.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Grantor
University of Texas at Austin
Year dc:date.issued
2007

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Lu, Zhou, 1978-
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Shear, Jason B.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • Copyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/46582

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Texas
Base URL
repositories.lib.utexas.edu/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Lu, Zhou, 1978-. Enzyme microspheres for biosensing and cell signaling perturbation. Masters thesis, University of Texas at Austin, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/46582