Bruce Bejcek

NF-κB controls growth of glioblastomas/astrocytomas

NF-κB is a family of transcription factors that have been shown to be elevated in a variety of tumor types and in some cases central to their survival and growth. Here we present evidence that U-87 MG and U-118 MG growth is regulated by NF-κB and controlled by PDGF. NF-κB activity was suppressed by a dominant negative mutant of the human PDGF type β receptor and PDGF-B chain neutralizing antibodies. Creation of cell lines that had inducible expression of shRNAs directed against either c-Rel or RelA inhibited growth almost 90% indicating that NF-κB plays a central role in glioblastoma growth.

Improved detection limits of toxic biochemical species based on impedance measurements in electrochemical biosensors.

An impedance based electrochemical biosensor was designed and fabricated for the detection of various chemical and biological species, with glass as substrate material and gold interdigitated electrodes. A flow cell with inlet and outlet ports for the microfluidic chamber was designed and fabricated using acrylic material with a reservoir volume of 78 μl. The feasibility of the fabricated sensor for detecting very low concentration of chemical and biological species was demonstrated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed as the detection technique. The impedance based response of the two-terminal device revealed a very high sensitivity with low concentrations of mouse monoclonal IgG, sarcosine, cadmium sulphide (CdS) and potassium chloride (KCl) at pico mole levels.

Carbon nanotube network-based biomolecule detection

In this paper, we describe a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) based biological sensor for the detection of biomolecules like Streptavidin and IgG. SWNTs have been employed for two types of sensing mechanisms. First, the changes in the electrical conductance of the carbon nanotube (CNT) matrix on noncovalent binding of the biomolecules to the side walls of the CNT and, second, quantification of mass uptake of the matrix on biomolecule incubation are presented. Both sensing mechanisms exhibited consistent and highly sensitive responses. Biomolecular immobilization on the CNT surface was monitored by atomic force microscopy

Carbon nanotube based biosensors

We describe a single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) based biological sensor for the detection of biomolecules like Streptavidin and IgG. SWNTs have been employed for two types of sensing mechanisms: changes in the electrical conductance of the carbon nanotube matrix on non-covalent binding of biomolecules to the side walls of the carbon nanotubes; quantification of mass uptake of the matrix on biomolecule incubation. Both sensing mechanisms exhibit consistent and highly sensitive responses. Biomolecular immobilization on the carbon nanotube surface was monitored by atomic force microscopy.

SWNT NETWORK for BIOMOLECULE DETECTION

In this paper we describe a single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) based biological sensor for the detection of biomolecules using streptavidin and IgG. Two types of sensing mechanisms have been used to demonstrate the ability of carbon nanotubes to form nanoscale biosensors. The first sensing mechanism involves a CNT based conduction sensor in which the decrease in the current was observed when the specific biomolecule was bound. In the second mechanism Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) was used to quantify the mass of the biomolecule bound on the sidewalls of the carbon nanotube. Both sensing mechanisms proved to be efficient and consistent. Immobilization of the biomolecules on the carbon nanotube surface was confirmed by Atomic Force Microscopy.

Impedance based electrochemical biosensors

An impedance based electrochemical biosensor was designed and fabricated for the detection of various chemical and biological species, with glass as substrate material and gold electrodes. A flow cell with inlet and outlet ports for the micro fluidic chamber was designed and fabricated using an acrylic material with a reservoir volume of 78 µl. The feasibility of the fabricated sensor for detecting very low concentration of chemical and biological species was demonstrated. The impedance based response of the two-terminal device revealed a very high sensitivity with low concentrations of Potassium Chloride (KCl), Cadmium Sulphide (CdS), Mouse Monoclonal IgG, and D - Proline at pico mole levels.

Assay Guidance Manual: Quantitative Biology and Pharmacology in Preclinical Drug Discovery

The Assay Guidance Manual (AGM) is an eBook of best practices for the design, development, and implementation of robust assays for early drug discovery. Initiated by pharmaceutical company scientists, the manual provides guidance for designing a “testing funnel” of assays to identify genuine hits using high‐throughput screening (HTS) and advancing them through preclinical development. Combined with a workshop/tutorial component, the overall goal of the AGM is to provide a valuable resource for training translational scientists.