7 August 2012
Parabon NanoLabs announced that the Company and its academic partner, Marshall University, have generated a new structural sensing form that employs DNA origami folding techniques. The research team has demonstrated the feasibility of producing DNA origami structures that mimic the capture function of an antibody while maintaining significant scaffolding to support signaling/signal transduction capability.
Antibodies have long dominated the field of biomolecular detection and analysis. Thus, it is anticipated that totally synthetic molecular constructs that mimic antibody capture, with functionality further enhanced by the addition of a reporter function, will not only replace and revolutionize current technical applications of protein-based antibodies, but also enable new applications in the related field of rapid sensing. Although our near term objective is the creation of exquisitely sensitive molecular sensors for the detection and identification of biological threat agents of particular relevance to the U.S. defense mission, there are clear implications for many biomedical applications, such as detecting blood borne signatures of disease.
This effort was supported by the US Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command. Follow on funding to develop the technology is anticipated.
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For more information contact media@parabon.com, 703.689.9689 x250
