加拿大安大略省汉密尔顿市的Sentinel生物活性纸研究小组一直致力于开发廉价纸，用以检测致命病原体并将其破坏或使其失活。近日他们宣布已经开发出了新型的喷墨印刷生物传感器，可以快速方便地检测两种神经毒素。这种纸基传感器的测定结果重复性高，在4℃条件下储存2个月之后表明，该产品适合在该条件存储和使用。

加拿大麦克玛斯特大学的John Brennan及其研究小组于7月1日在《分析化学》上发表了一篇题为“利用压电喷墨印刷技术开发溶胶-凝胶性的生物油墨用于检测神经毒素的生物活性纸传感器”的论文，其中描述了使用Fujifilm Dimatix Materials打印机将毒素检测传感器印刷到纸面上的方法。该论文还指出，要将生化试剂黏附到纸基材料上，喷墨沉积是一个简单、轻便、成本低的方法。该研究小组使得生物活性纸概念向商品化迈出了非常重要的一步。

经研究人员证实，在纸面上使用“横向流动”的感测方法，以检测胆碱酯酶（AChE）抑制剂如对氧磷（神经毒气剂）和黄曲霉毒素B1（对人类和动物有害的霉菌毒素）。

“该研究首次提出了利用压电喷墨打印技术开发溶胶-凝胶型纸基生物传感器。”麦克玛斯特大学化学系教授、Sentinel的首席研究员John Brennan博士说，“我们的研究表明，喷墨打印提供了一个新的平台，用于开发生物活性纸以检测危害动物和人的各种生物毒素。”

开发便携式生物敏感纸主要是为了监测环境及食物中的毒素，也可以应用于工业化程度较低的国家，在那里简单的生物测定对于疾病的初期检测来说很重要。

Sentinel生物活性纸研究小组的成员分别来自加拿大的11所大学、工业界和政府部门。该项目成立于2005年，5年内加拿大自然科学与工程研究理事会共投入了750万美元，另300万美元由项目合作伙伴共同出资。Sentinel的行政中心位于麦克玛斯特大学内。（生物谷Bioon.com）

推荐原始出处：

Anal. Chem., 2009, 81 (13), pp 5474–5483 DOI: 10.1021/ac900660p

Development of a Bioactive Paper Sensor for Detection of Neurotoxins Using Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing of Sol-Gel-Derived Bioinks

S. M. Zakir Hossain, Roger E. Luckham, Anne Marie Smith, Julie M. Lebert, Lauren M. Davies?, Robert H. Pelton?, Carlos D. M. Filipe? and John D. Brennan*

Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada, and Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L7

There is an increasing interest in new strategies to rapidly detect analytes of clinical and environmental interest without the need for sophisticated instrumentation. As an example, the detection of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors such as neurotoxins and organophosphates has implications for neuroscience, drug assessment, pharmaceutical development, and environmental monitoring. Functionalization of surfaces with multiple reagents, including enzymes and chromogenic reagents, is a critical component for the effective development of “dipstick” or lateral flow biosensors. Herein, we describe a novel paper-based solid-phase biosensor that utilizes piezoelectric inkjet printing of biocompatible, enzyme-doped, sol?gel-based inks to create colorimetric sensor strips. For this purpose, polyvinylamine (PVAm, which captures anionic agents) was first printed and then AChE was overprinted by sandwiching the enzyme within two layers of biocompatible sol?gel-derived silica on paper. AChE inhibitors, including paraoxon and aflatoxin B1, were detected successfully using this sensor by measuring the residual activity of AChE on paper, using Ellman’s colorimetric assay, with capture of the 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoate (TNB?) product on the PVAm layer. The assay provided good detection limits (paraoxon, 100 nM; aflatoxin B1,30 nM) and rapid response times (<5 min). Detection could be achieved either by eye or using a digital camera and image analysis software, avoiding the need for expensive and sophisticated instrumentation. We demonstrate that the bioactive paper strip can be used either as a dipstick or a lateral flow-based biosensor. The use of sol?gel-based entrapment produced a sensor that retained enzyme activity and gave reproducible results after storage at 4 °C for at least 60 days, making the system suitable for storage and use in the field.