Recommended Citation
Aied, A,Glynn, B,Cao, HL,Zheng, Y,Tai, HY,Pandit, A,Wang, WX (2012) 'A Fluorescently Labeled, Hyperbranched Polymer Synthesized from DE-ATRP for the Detection of DNA Hybridization'. Polymer Chemistry, 3 :332-334.
Abstract
The early detection of oligonucleotide biomarkers of disease, such as microRNAs, has been established as a fundamental factor in cancer diagnosis. As the levels of these small molecules (microRNAs) in blood have recently been found to be significantly affected in cancer patients, they offer a means of early stage detection of cancer. Towards the goal of creating a novel method of DNA hybridization detection, we report the detection of specific sequences of small oligonucleotides in a model experiment carried out in serum. The results shown here display the versatility of the DE-ATRP method in synthesizing a specific polymer structure capable of changing its physical properties in the presence of double stranded DNA. The polymer was labeled and used to detect single-stranded DNA in serum successfully.