Dr. Loreen Stromberg, Los Alamos National Laboratory
February 11, 2021

Materials play a critical role in the development of surfaces for detection of biological components. In order to achieve the requisite sensitivity and specificity in a target matrix, the interface between surfaces and biomarkers needs to strike a balance with the appropriate degree of biomimicry, functionality, and compatibility with the detection platform. To tune this important interface the biochemistry, physiological presentation, and the binding capacity of the receptors/ligands must be taken into consideration when designing the assay. Equally important to these aspects are the methods of detection, sample matrices, signal transduction schemes, and the end user. In this talk I will present examples of materials used to create detection surfaces for biomarkers and bacterial cells. Specifically, Dr. Stromberg discusses a spectroscopic detection strategy for lipopolysaccharides and Shiga toxin and a label-free electrochemical graphene sensor for detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. In each example the characterization of the functional surface for the detection assay is discussed along with representative data. The last example examines attempts to create a functional surface to evaluate bacterial viability after applying a radioisotope as a therapeutic strategy to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The talk  concludes with a brief discussion on the relevance of different detection strategies that drive technical adaption and innovation for new materials.

 
 

To view Dr. Stromberg’s webinar, please click on the link below:
Interfacing Biomarkers and Materials Science: Applications for Detection and Therapeutics