Seong-Je Cho

Disposable all-solid-state pH and glucose sensors based on conductive polymer covered hierarchical AuZn oxide

Poly(terthiophene benzoic acid) (pTBA) layered-AuZn alloy oxide (AuZnOx) deposited on the screen printed carbon electrode (pTBA/AuZnOx/SPCE) was prepared to create a disposable all-solid-state pH sensor at first. Further, FAD-glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized onto the pTBA/AuZnOx/SPCE to fabricate a glucose sensor. The characterizations of the sensor probe reveal that AuZnOx forms a homogeneous hierarchical structure, and that the polymerized pTBA layer on the alloy oxide surface captures GOx covalently. The benzoic acid group of pTBA coated on the probe layer synergetically improved the pH response of the alloy oxide and provide chemical binding sites to enzyme, which resulted in a Nernstian behavior (59.2 ± 0.5 mV/pH) in the pH range of 2-13. The experimental parameters affecting the glucose analysis were studied in terms of pH, temperature, humidity, and interferences. The sensor exhibited a fast response time <1s and a dynamic range between 30 and 500 mg/dL glucose with a detection limit of 17.23 ± 0.32 mg/dL. The reliabilities of the disposable pH and glucose sensors were examined for biological samples.

A selective glucose sensor based on direct oxidation on a bimetal catalyst with a molecular imprinted polymer

A selective nonenzymatic glucose sensor was developed based on the direct oxidation of glucose on hierarchical CuCo bimetal-coated with a glucose-imprinted polymer (GIP). Glucose was introduced into the GIP composed of Nafion and polyurethane along with aminophenyl boronic acid (APBA), which was formed on the bimetal electrode formed on a screen-printed electrode. The extraction of glucose from the GIP allowed for the selective permeation of glucose into the bimetal electrode surface for oxidation. The GIP-coated bimetal sensor probe was characterized using electrochemical and surface analytical methods. The GIP layer coated on the NaOH pre-treated bimetal electrode exhibited a dynamic range between 1.0µM and 25.0mM with a detection limit of 0.65±0.10µM in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). The anodic responses of uric acid, acetaminophen, dopamine, ascorbic acid, L-cysteine, and other saccharides (monosaccharides: galactose, mannose, fructose, and xylose; disaccharides: sucrose, lactose, and maltose) were not detected using the GIP-coated bimetal sensor. The reliability of the sensor was evaluated by the determination of glucose in artificial and whole blood samples.

Activation of pluripotency genes by a nanotube-mediated protein delivery system

The overexpression of cell reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, Nanog, and c‐Myc) allows differentiated cells to revertto an earlier developmental stage. Differentiated cells can also be reprogrammed by directly delivering reprogramming proteins tagged with cell‐penetrating peptides, which allow the proteins to pass through the cell membrane and into the cytoplasm–although this method has been an inefficient process. Here, we describe a novel technique for delivering reprogramming proteins into cells using titanium oxide (TiO2) nanotubes, which show no cytotoxic effects and do not affect cell proliferation. TiO2 nanotubes successfully transferred the above‐mentioned reprogramming factors into differentiated somatic cells. After 3 weeks of treatment with protein‐conjugated nanotubes, the somatic cells adopted an embryonic stem cell‐like morphology and expressed activated Oct4‐green fluorescent protein, a pluripotency biomarker. Our results indicate that TiO2 nanotubes can be used to directly deliver reprogramming factors into somatic cells to induce pluripotency. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 1000–1008, 2013.

Interference Reduction in Glucose Detection by Redox Potential Tuning: New Glucose Meter Development

A new glucose meter was developed employing a novel disposable glucose sensor strip comprising a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-glucose dehydrogenase (NAD-GDH) and a mixture of Fe compounds as a mediator. An iron complex, 5-(2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline iron(III) chloride (Fe-PhenTPy), was synthesized as a new mediator for the NAD-GDH system. Due to the high oxidation potential of the mediator, the detection potential was tuned to be more closely fitted toward the enzyme reaction potential, less than 400 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), by mixing with an additional iron mediator. The impedance spectrometry for the enzyme sensor containing the mixed mediators showed an enhanced charge transfer property. In addition, a new cartridge-type glucose meter was manufactured using effective aligned-electrodes, which showed an enhanced response compared with conventional electrode alignment. The proposed glucose sensor resulted in a wide dynamic range in the concentration range of 30 - 500 mg dL(-1) with a reduced interference effect and a good sensitivity of 0.57 μA mM(-1).