Microfluidic on-chip microwave sensing of the self-assembly state of tubulin

0543281 - ÚFE 2022 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Krivosudský, Ondrej - Havelka, Daniel - Chafai, Djamel Eddine - Cifra, Michal
Microfluidic on-chip microwave sensing of the self-assembly state of tubulin.
Sensors and Actuators B - Chemical. Roč. 328, FEB 1 2021 (2021), č. článku 129068. E-ISSN 0925-4005
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GX20-06873X
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) SAV-18-11
Program: Bilaterální spolupráce
Institutional support: RVO:67985882
Keywords : Self-assembly * Proteins * Tubulin * Radiofrequency and microwave chips * High-frequency biosensors
OECD category: Electrical and electronic engineering
Impact factor: 9.221, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.129068

Self-assembly is at the heart of many promising nanoscience technologies as well as at the core of life processes. Tubulin proteins self-assemble into microtubules, tube-like structures that are essential in cellular functions such as cell division and intracellular transport and also a major target in cancer therapies. Therefore, it is crucial to develop efficient methods for monitoring tubulin self-assembly at the molecular level. To mitigate the limitations of current methods, we propose a new approach based on a microwave lab-on-a-chip method to monitor tubulin self-assembly states. To that end, we designed a dedicated microwave platform with integrated microfluidics with a sensing volume of < 30 nL. In parallel, we used a standard bulk light-scattering-based method to assess the tubulin self-assembly and to validate the microwave chip results. Using our chip, for the first time, we demonstrate that the self-assembly state of tubulin into microtubules can be monitored using microwave microfluidics technology. Our results introduce a novel label-free electromagnetic monitoring and analytical method for bionanotechnology and biomedicine applications that can potentially be integrated into advanced microscopy systems
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0320514