Publications

Triple lines gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow for enhanced and simultaneous Leishmania DNA detection and endogenous control

Lourdes Rivas, Alfredo de la Escosura Muñiz, Lorena Serrano, Laura Altet, Olga Francino, Armand Sánchez, Arben Merkoçi. Nano Research, 2015, 8 (11), 3704-3714
A novel triple-lines lateral-flow assay (LFA) with enhanced sensitivity for the detection of Leishmania infantum DNA from dog blood samples was designed and successfully applied. The enhanced LFA methodology takes advantage of the use of gold nanoparticle tags (AuNPs) connected with polyclonal secondary antibodies which recognize...

Microfluidic platform for environmental contaminants sensing and degradation based on boron-doped diamond electrodes

Mariana Medina-Sánchez, Carmen C. Mayorga-Martinez, Takeshi Watanabe, Tribidasari A. Ivandini, Yuki Honda, Flavio Pino, Azuya Nakata, Akira Fujishima, Yasuaki Einaga, Arben Merkoçi.. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Volume 75, 15 January 2016, Pages 365–374
We have developed a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platform for electrochemical detection and degradation of the pesticide atrazine (Atz). It is based on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes and a competitive magneto-enzyme immunoassay (EIA) that enables high sensitivity. To detect the enzymatic reaction, we employed a BDD electrode modified...

Graphene Quantum Dots-based Photoluminescent Sensor: A Multifunctional Composite for Pesticide Detection

Erhan Zor, Eden Morales-Narváez, Alejandro Zamora-Gálvez, Haluk Bingol, Mustafa Ersoz, and Arben Merkoçi. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2015, 7 (36), pp 20272–20279
Due to their size and difficulty to obtain cost/effective biological or synthetic receptors (e.g. antibodies or aptamers, respectively), organic toxic compounds (e.g. less than 1 kDa) are generally challenging to be detected using simple platforms such as biosensors. This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of a novel...

Photoluminescent Lateral-Flow Immunoassay Revealed by Graphene Oxide: Highly Sensitive Paper-Based Pathogen Detection

Eden Morales-Narváez, Tina Naghdi, Erhan Zor, and Arben Merkoçi. Anal. Chem., 2015, 87 (16), pp 8573–8577
The performance of a label-free lateral flow immunoassay for pathogen detection that obviates the use of secondary antibodies and is revealed by the photoluminescent quenching ability of GO has been explored. The analyte is selectively attached onto the test line of the strip (which contains Ab-QDs) leading to a highly specific and...

Nanopaper as an Optical Sensing Platform

Eden Morales-Narváez, Hamed Golmohammadi, Tina Naghdi, Hossein Yousefi, Uliana Kostiv, Daniel Horak, Nahid Pourreza, and Arben Merkoçi. ACS Nano, 2015, 9 (7), pp 7296–7305
Bacterial cellulose nanopaper (BC) is a multifunctional material known for numerous desirable properties: sustainability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, optical transparency, thermal properties, flexibility, high mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, high porosity, broad chemical-modification capabilities and high surface area....

An iridium oxide nanoparticle and polythionine thin film based platform for sensitive Leishmania DNA detection

Carmen C. Mayorga-Martinez, Alejandro Chamorro-García,   Lorena Serrano,  Lourdes Rivas,  Daniel Quesada-Gonzalez,   Laura Altet,   Olga Francino,   Armand Sánchez and   Arben Merkoçi   . J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015,3, 5166-5171
An impedimetric label-free genosensor for high sensitive DNA detection is developed. This system is based on a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with the thionine layer and iridium oxide nanoparticles (IrO2 NP). An aminated oligonucleotide probe is immobilized on the IrO2 NP/polythionine modified electrode and ethanolamine...

Nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensors

Daniel Quesada-González, Arben Merkoçi. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. Volume 73, 15 November 2015, Pages 47–63
Lateral flow biosensors (LFBs) are paper-based devices which permit the performance of low-cost and fast diagnostics with good robustness, specificity, sensitivity and low limits of detection. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) as labels play an important role on the design and fabrication of a lateral flow strip (LFS). The choice of...

Bismuth nanoparticles integration into heavy metal electrochemical stripping sensor

Miquel Cadevall, Josep Ros and Arben Merkoçi. Electrophoresis, 2015, Vol 36, pp 1872-1879
Between their many applications bismuth nanoparticles (BiNPs) are showing interest as pre-concentrators in heavy metals detection while being applied as working electrode modifiers used in electrochemical stripping analysis. From the different reported methods to synthesize BiNPs we are focused on the typical polyol method, largely...

Label-free Impedimetric Aptasensor for Ochratoxin-A Detection Using Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles

Lourdes Rivas , Carmen C. Mayorga-Martínez , Daniel Quesada-González , Alejandro Zamora , Alfredo de la Escosura-Muñiz , and Arben Merkoçi. Anal. Chem., 2015, 87 (10), pp 5167–5172
In this article, a novel aptasensor for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection based on screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with polythionine (PTH) and iridium oxide nanoparticles (IrO2 NPs) is presented. The electrotransducer surface is modified with an electropolymerized film of PTH followed by the assembly of IrO2 NPs that aminated...

In Situ Production of Biofunctionalized Few-Layer Defect-Free Microsheets of Graphene

Alfredo M. Gravagnuolo, Eden Morales-Narváez, Sara Longobardi, Everson T. da Silva, Paola Giardina, and Arben Merkoçi. Advanced Functional Materials, Volume 25, Issue 18, pages 2771–2779, May 13, 2015
Biological interfacing of graphene has become crucial to improve its biocompatibility, dispersability, and selectivity. However, biofunctionalization of graphene without yielding defects in its sp2-carbon lattice is a major challenge. Here, a process is set out for biofunctionalized defect-free graphene synthesis through the liquid...