Maxim P. Nikitin

Protein-assisted self-assembly of multifunctional nanoparticles

A bioengineering method for self-assembly of multifunctional superstructures with in-advance programmable properties has been proposed. The method employs two unique proteins, barnase and barstar, to rapidly join the structural components together directly in water solutions. The properties of the superstructures can be designed on demand by linking different agents of various sizes and chemical nature, designated for specific goals. As a proof of concept, colloidally stable trifunctional structures have been assembled by binding together magnetic particles, quantum dots, and antibodies using barnase and barstar. The assembly has demonstrated that the bonds between these proteins are strong enough to hold macroscopic (5 nm–3 μm) particles together. Specific interaction of such superstructures with cancer cells resulted in fluorescent labeling of the cells and their responsiveness to magnetic field. The method can be used to join inorganic moieties, organic particles, and single biomolecules for synergistic use in different applications such as biosensors, photonics, and nanomedicine.

Biocomputing based on particle disassembly

Nanoparticles with biocomputing capabilities could potentially be used to create sophisticated robotic devices with a variety of biomedical applications, including intelligent sensors and theranostic agents. DNA/RNA-based computing techniques have already been developed that can offer a complete set of Boolean logic functions and have been used, for example, to analyse cells and deliver molecular payloads. However, the computing potential of particle-based systems remains relatively unexplored. Here, we show that almost any type of nanoparticle or microparticle can be transformed into autonomous biocomputing structures that are capable of implementing a functionally complete set of Boolean logic gates (YES, NOT, AND and OR) and binding to a target as result of a computation. The logic-gating functionality is incorporated into self-assembled particle/biomolecule interfaces (demonstrated here with proteins) and the logic gating is achieved through input-induced disassembly of the structures. To illustrate the capabilities of the approach, we show that the structures can be used for logic-gated cell targeting and advanced immunoassays.

Magnetic Immunoassay for Detection of Staphylococcal Toxins in Complex Media

Method of highly sensitive registration of magnetic nanoparticles by their nonlinear magnetization is used in a novel sandwich-type immunoassay for detection of staphylococcal toxins in complex media of virtually any volume, with increasing sensitivity at higher sample volume. The signal is read out from the entire volume of a nontransparent 3D fiber structure employed as a solid phase, which provides large reaction surface, quick reagent mixing, as well as antigen immunofiltration directly in the course of the assay. The method has demonstrated near-linear dose-response curves within a wide range of ~3 decades, while detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) in neat milk without sample preparation. The limits of detection (LOD) as low as 4 and 10 pg/mL for TSST and SEA, respectively, were obtained in 2-h format using 30-mL samples. The second, 25-min format, showed the LOD of 0.1 and 0.3 ng/mL for the same toxins in a 150 μL sample. The developed immunoassay can be applied in food safety control, in vitro diagnostics, and veterinary for a variety of research from express tests in the field to highly sensitive laboratory tests.

Quantitative real-time in vivo detection of magnetic nanoparticles by their nonlinear magnetization

A novel method of highly sensitive quantitative detection of magnetic nanoparticles (MP) in biological tissues and blood system has been realized and tested in real time in vivo experiments. The detection method is based on nonlinear magnetic properties of MP and the related device can record a very small relative variation of nonlinear magnetic susceptibility up to 10−8 at room temperature, providing sensitivity of several nanograms of MP in 0.1ml volume. Real-time quantitative in vivo measurements of dynamics of MP concentration in blood flow have been performed. A catheter that carried the blood flow of a rat passed through the measuring device. After an MP injection, the quantity of MP in the circulating blood was continuously recorded. The method has also been used to evaluate the MP distribution between rat’s organs. Its sensitivity was compared with detection of the radioactive MP based on isotope of Fe59. The comparison of magnetic and radioactive signals in the rat’s blood and organ samples demon...

Rapid dry-reagent immunomagnetic biosensing platform based on volumetric detection of nanoparticles on 3D structures

A dry-reagent immunomagnetic (DRIM) biosensing platform is developed for rapid high-precision quantitative analyses for in vitro diagnostics. The platform combines the advantages of immunochromatography with highly sensitive quantification of 200-nm magnetic nanoparticles (MP) from the entire volume of lateral flow membranes. The MP are registered by their non-linear magnetization at combinatorial frequencies by a portable reader that offers the detection limit of 60 zeptomoles or 0.4 ng of magnetic nanolabels and extremely wide linear dynamic range of 7 orders. The efficient combination of small MP with large reaction surface of the 3D membranes has permitted the detection in human serum of as low as 25 pg/ml total prostate specific antigen (PSA) during 30-min assay. The featured 3-fold signal increase per every order of concentration within 3.5 orders of magnitude allows precise analysis of antigen concentrations in a wide range. The system also provides the first tool for quantitative MP mapping along the lateral flow strip for easy development and optimization of assays. The DRIM detection can be used for simple, rapid and sensitive quantification of protein biomarkers for in vitro diagnostics both in laboratory and near-patient conditions, for food analysis, environmental monitoring, security, and safety applications.

Denaturation-resistant bifunctional colloidal superstructures assembled via the proteinaceous barnase-barstar interface.

To date, a number of biomolecule-mediated nanoparticle self-assembly systems have been developed that are amenable to controllable disassembly under relatively gentle conditions. However, for some applications such as design of self-assembled multifunctional theragnostic agents, high stability of the assembled structures can be of primary importance. Here, we report extraordinarily high durability of protein-assisted nanoparticle self-assembly systems yielding bifunctional colloidal superstructures resistant to extreme denaturing conditions intolerable for most proteins (e.g., high concentrations of chaotropic agents, high temperature). Among the tested systems (barnase-barstar (BBS), streptavidin-biotin, antibody-antigen, and protein A-immunoglobulin), the BBS is notable due to the combination of its high resistance to severe chemical perturbation and unique advantages offered by genetic engineering of this entirely protein-based system. Comparison of the self-assembly systems shows that whereas in all cases the preassembled structures proved essentially resistant to extreme conditions, the ability of the complementary biomolecular pairs to mediate assembly of the initial biomolecule-particle conjugates differs substantially in these conditions.

Biodegradation of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Mouse Liver From Combined Analysis of Mössbauer and Magnetization Data

The potential of Mössbauer spectroscopy to study the biodegradation process of magnetic nanoparticles in vivo was demonstrated. Magnetic nanoparticles in form of ferrofluid were administrated to mice. The Mössbauer study of the mice liver samples has shown that in addition to the sextet of lines related to the injected nanoparticles there appears an intense doublet of lines in the spectra with increasing times after the particles administration. Further analysis showed that the doublet consists of two components related to the formation of iron-containing proteins and superparamagnetic behavior of the injected nanoparticles. Using combined analysis of three Mössbauer spectra taken at different external conditions and magnetization curves measured for each sample these components were separated and the evolution with time of each component was characterized.

Magnetic Nanoparticle Degradation in vivo Studied by Mössbauer Spectroscopy

Magnetic nanoparticles belong to the most promising nanosized objects for biomedical applications. However, little is known about clearance of magnetic nanoparticles from the organism. In this work superparamagnetic iron oxide particles fluidMAG‐ARA were injected into tail vein of mice at a dose of 17 mg per 20 g body weight. At various time intervals after the injection the mice were sacrificed and their organs collected. A Mossbauer study allowed to detect magnetic particles in the liver and spleen and showed the degradation of the particles with incorporation of exogenous iron into paramagnetic ferritin‐like iron species.

Reversible Conformational Transitions of a Polymer Brush Containing Boronic Acid and its Interaction with Mucin Glycoprotein.

Reversible changes of the height of a polymer brush containing phenylboronic acid were studied. The polymer brush thickness underwent reversible changes of 0.5-1 nm, in response to the changes in composition of the contacting aqueous phase from deionized water to bicarbonate buffer and vice versa, apparently due to the conformational transition of the weak polyelectrolyte to the more extended electrically charged state. Adsorption of mucin glycoprotein to the polymer brush took place due to boronate/sugar interactions between the glycoprotein and the graft copolymer and resulted in further increase of the brush height by ca. 1.5 nm, as observed by means of spectral correlation spectroscopy and ellipsometry.

Interpretation of the Mössbauer Spectra of the Magnetic Nanoparticles in Mouse Spleen

We have developed a stochastic model for description of relaxation effects in the system of homogeneously magnetized single‐domain particles and applied the model to the analysis of Mossbauer spectra of magnetic nanoparticles (Chemicell ARA) and mouse spleen after i.v. injection into animals. We estimate that the fraction of exogenous iron in nanoparticles in the mouse spleen 3 months after injection was 0.27±0.03. The spectra of the residual nanoparticles in the spleen had almost the same isomer shift but smaller mean hyperfine magnetic field values indicating decrease in the magnetic anisotropy energy (size) of the particles compared to the initial ones in the course of biodegradation. Concentration of ferritin‐like iron was about three‐fold higher than that in the spleen of untreated animals showing ferritin‐like forms in the mouse spleen.