This project is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfield of biosensors. During the tenure of this three-year continuing grant, Professor Rechnitz and his students will continue the development of tissue based biosensors using plant and animal tissue materials as molecular recognition elements in conjunction with a variety of transducers. This research, which was begun under NSF grant CHE-8921156, will focus on two novel initiatives. In the first, genetically modified plant tissue materials will be used in order to achieve improved sensor stability and to extend the range of possible analytes. In the second, biomagnetic current probes will be introduced as transducers in the design of neuronal biosensors. It is expected that such probes could function as non-invasive transducers and thereby improve the useful lifetimes of chemoreceptor based biosensors. %%% This research is aimed at overcoming some of the major technical problems encountered in biosensor research and, more importantly, to introduce and provide conceptual advances for the future development of analytical biosensors.
