The objective is to produce nano-fiberoptic chemical sensors for the direct, real-time monitoring of intact single cell processes. These sensors will monitor concentrations of analytes such as glucose, calcium, oxygen, and hydrogen ions, as well as their sub-microscopic chemical maps and time developments, individually or simultaneously. The samples required for these sensor diameters will be 100-1000 times smaller and their response times 100-1000 times shorter. They will also be faster, less invasive and more selective than comparable electrochemical sensors.
The aim i s to apply recent theoretical and technological breakthroughs: 10 The construction of subwavelength optical light sources and sensor down to sizes of 40 nm. 2) The demonstration that near-field optics increases the molecular cross-section for optional absorption up to a million times. The initial step is a rugged pH fiber-optic sensor with millisecond response time and excellent sensitivity, requiring only atto- liters (10-181) of sample. Specifically, the proposal outlines how to design and carry out appropriate dye sensor fabrication schemes as well as how to construct and test such ultra-small and ultra-fast model sensors for intracellular measurements of calcium, oxygen and glucose, in addition to pH. These will also be working models for generalize ion sensors and for drug sensors. We also design a method for micron and submicron chemical mapping, combined with optical imaging. This includes scanning near-field optical imaging and sensing down to a spatial resolution of 0,05 microns. Such nano-chemical sensors technology will speed up by a large factor various biochemical test protocols and might well replace existing animal testing protocols and might well replace existing animal testing protocols by much less costly and sager single cell or single embryo protocols. These tests and protocols will be on single rat live cells, blood cells etc. and on early rat embryos. The long range goal is to make optical nanosensors with single molecule/ion spatial resolution and chemical sensitivity.
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