Bridging Flocculation of a Sterically Stabilized Cationic Latex as a Biosensor for the Detection of Microbial DNA after Amplification via PCR.

There is a high demand for rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection methods for pathogens. This paper demonstrates a method of detecting the presence of amplified DNA from a range of pathogens associated with serious infections including Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and viruses. DNA is amplified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and consequently detected using a sterically stabilized, cationic polymer latex. The DNA induces flocculation of this cationic latex, which consequently leads to rapid sedimentation and a visible change from a milky-white dispersion to one with a transparent supernatant, presenting a clear visible change, indicating the presence of amplified DNA. Specifically, a number of different pathogens were amplified using conventional or qPCR, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-2). This method was demonstrated to detect the presence of bacteria in suspension concentrations greater than 380 CFU mL-1 and diagnose the presence of specific genomes through primer selection, as exemplified using methicillin resistant and methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. The versatility of this methodology was further demonstrated by showing that false positive results do not occur when a PCR of fungal DNA from C. albicans is conducted using bacterial universal primers.

Deoxyribonucleic acid polymer nanoparticle hydrogels.

Polymer nanoparticle hydrogels made of deoxyribonucleic acid and silica have been prepared and shown to display shear thinning and self-healing properties, sustained release of cargo and enzymatic degradation.

Supramolecular alignment of gold nanorods via cucurbit[8]uril ternary complex formation.

We have shown, for the first time, that a three component system is capable of aligning gold nanorods (AuNRs) through supramolecular host-guest interactions leading to control over AuNR end-to-end assembly. Viologen end-functionalised AuNRs were prepared that were capable of selectively binding to a cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) macrocyclic host molecule. These end-functionalised AuNRs could participate in 1 : 1 : 1 ternary complexation with synthesised telechelic linker molecules bearing second guest moieties, in the presence of CB[8]. When the linker length was long and flexible aggregation and precipitation of AuNRs were readily observed, but with no control over the AuNR conformation. On the other hand, when the linker length was shortened thereby imparting a more rigid connection between neighboring gold nanorods, the end-to-end assembly of AuNRs was achieved. We also note that in the presence of a molecule capable of occupying the entirety of the CB[8] cavity, end-to-end assembly is not observed as the system's ability to form a 1 : 1 : 1 ternary complex is halted. Thus, the end-to-end assembly relies upon both having a relatively short and rigid linker as well as the specific, yet tuneable supramolecular 1 : 1 : 1 ternary complexation between the three components.

One-step fabrication of supramolecular microcapsules from microfluidic droplets.

Although many techniques exist for preparing microcapsules, it is still challenging to fabricate them in an efficient and scalable process without compromising functionality and encapsulation efficiency. We demonstrated a simple one-step approach that exploits a versatile host-guest system and uses microfluidic droplets to generate porous microcapsules with easily customizable functionality. The capsules comprise a polymer-gold nanoparticle composite held together by cucurbit[8]uril ternary complexes. The dynamic yet highly stable micrometer-sized structures can be loaded in one step during capsule formation and are amenable to on-demand encapsulant release. The internal chemical environment can be probed with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Sustained release of proteins from high water content supramolecular polymer hydrogels.

Self-assembled hydrogels with extremely high water content (up to 99.5%) and highly tunable mechanical properties were prepared from renewable cellulose derivatives. These hydrogels are easily processed and the simplicity of their preparation, their availability from inexpensive renewable resources, and the tunability of their mechanical properties are distinguishing for important biomedical applications. The protein release characteristics were investigated to determine the effect of both the protein molecular weight and polymer loadings of the hydrogels on the protein release rate. Extremely sustained release of bovine serum albumin is observed over the course of 160 days from supramolecular hydrogels containing only 1.5 wt% polymeric constituents. This sustained release far surpasses the current state of the art for protein release from a hydrogel, highlighting these materials as important potential candidates for sustained therapeutic applications.

Supramolecular gold nanoparticle-polymer composites formed in water with cucurbit[8]uril.

A gold nanoparticle-polymer composite material has been prepared in water using cucurbit[8]uril as a supramolecular "handcuff" to hold together viologen-functionalised gold nanoparticles and a naphthol-functionalised acrylamide copolymer.