Peptide nanostructure-coated electrodes

• US 20070138007A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Original Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Inventors: Yemini, Miri, Reches, Meital, Rishpon, Judith, Gazit, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 7,879,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/291
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 11/075 consisting of a single catalytic element or catalytic compound

Abstract

An electrode coated with peptide nanostructures, composed of self-assembled peptides, is disclosed. The electrode is capable of conducting a response current resulting from an electrochemical reaction. The electrode can form a part of an electrochemical cell, a detector and a sensor array. Methods utilizing an electrochemical cell, a detector or a sensor array comprising the electrode for detecting an Analyte in a sample and kits containing same are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An electrode comprising a plurality of peptide nanostructures, said peptide nanostructures being composed of a plurality of peptides self-assembled into said peptide nano structures, the electrode being capable of conducting a response current resulting from an electrochemical reaction in a proximity thereof.

2. The electrode of claim 1, further comprising a support having a surface, said peptide nanostructures being attached to said surface.

3. The electrode of claim 1, wherein each of said peptides in said plurality of peptides comprises from 2 to 15 amino acid residues.

4. The electrode of claim 1, wherein each of said peptides in said plurality of peptides comprises from 2 to 7 amino acid residues.

5. The electrode of claim 1, wherein each of said peptides in said plurality of peptides comprises at least one aromatic amino acid residue.

6. The electrode of claim 1, wherein at least one peptide in said plurality of peptides is an end-capping modified peptide.

7. The electrode of claim 5, wherein at least one peptide in said plurality of peptides consists essentially of aromatic amino acid residues.

8. The electrode of claim 3, wherein at least one peptide in said plurality of peptides is a dipeptide.

9. The electrode of claim 8, wherein each peptide in said plurality of peptides is a phenylalanine-phenylalanine dipeptide.

10. The electrode of claim 2, wherein each of said peptide nanostructures is attached to said surface via interactions selected from the group consisting of hydrogen bond interactions, hydrophobic interactions, covalent interactions, coordinative interactions, electrostatic interactions and surface interactions.

11. The electrode of claim 10, wherein at least one peptide in said plurality of peptides forming said peptide nanostructures comprises a functional group for forming said interactions with said surface.

12. The electrode of claim 1, further comprising a moiety being capable of generating an electrochemically reactive molecule and/or capable of reacting with and/or capturing a molecule generating an electrochemically reactive molecule upon said electrochemical reaction.

13. The electrode of claim 12, wherein said moiety is an enzyme, said enzyme being capable of catalyzing a reaction generating said electrochemically reactive molecule.

14. The electrode of claim 12, wherein said moiety is a ligand, said ligand being capable of capturing said molecule generating said electrochemically reactive molecule.

15. A process of preparing the electrode of claim 1, the process comprising subjecting said plurality of peptides to conditions which favor formation of said peptide nanostructures.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein said electrode further comprises a support having a surface coated with said peptide nanostructures, the process further comprising:

attaching said peptide nanostructures to said surface.

17. The process of claim 16, further comprising, prior to said attaching:

modifying said peptide nanostructures to thereby generate a functional group thereon, said functional group being for attaching said peptide nanostructures to said surface.

18. The process of claim 15, further comprising, prior to, concomitant with or subsequent to said subjecting, attaching to or encapsulating in said peptide nanostructures a moiety capable of generating an electrochemically reactive molecule and/or capable of reacting with and/or capturing a molecule generating said electrochemically reactive molecule upon said electrochemical reaction.

19. An electrochemical cell comprising a working electrode and a reference electrode, said working electrode being the electrode of claim 1.

20. The electrochemical cell of claim 19, further comprising an auxiliary electrode.

21. An electrochemical cell comprising a working electrode and a reference electrode, said working electrode being the electrode of claim 12.

22. The electrochemical cell of claim 19, further comprising an auxiliary electrode.

23. The electrochemical cell of claim 19, further comprising a moiety being capable of generating an electrochemically reactive molecule and/or capable of reacting with and/or capturing a molecule generating said electrochemically reactive molecule upon said electrochemical reaction.

24. The electrochemical cell of claim 23, wherein said moiety is attached to or encapsulated in said peptide nanostructures.

25. A detector comprising:

(a) the electrode of claim 1;

and

(b) a detecting unit attached to said electrode and being capable of detecting a response current resulting from said electrochemical reaction.

26. The detector of claim 25, further comprising a reference electrode.

27. The detector of claim 26, further comprising an auxiliary electrode.

28. The detector of claim 25, further comprising a moiety being capable of generating an electrochemically reactive molecule and/or capable of reacting with and/or capturing a molecule generating said electrochemically reactive molecule upon said electrochemical reaction.

29. The detector of claim 28, wherein said moiety forms a part of a first member of a binding pair and said molecule generating said electrochemically reactive molecule forms a part of a second member of a binding pair.

30. The detector of claim 28, wherein said moiety is an enzyme, said enzyme being capable of catalyzing a reaction generating said electrochemically reactive molecule.

31. The detector of claim 30, wherein said enzyme is attached to or encapsulated in said peptide nanostructures.

32. The detector of claim 25, wherein said moiety is a ligand, said ligand being capable of capturing a molecule generating said electrochemically active molecule.

33. The detector of claim 32, wherein said ligand is attached to or encapsulated in said peptide nanostructures.

34. A sensor array comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells each comprising, as a working electrode, the electrode of claim 1.

35. The sensor array of claim 34, wherein each of said plurality of electrochemical cells further includes a reference electrode.

36. The sensor array of claim 35, wherein each of said plurality of electrochemical cells further includes an auxiliary electrode.

37. The sensor array of claim 34, wherein the sensor array includes a support having a plurality of chambers, and whereas each of said plurality of electrochemical cells is disposed within a specific chamber of said plurality of chambers.

38. A method of electrochemically detecting an analyte is a sample, the method comprising:

contacting the sample with the detector of claim 25;

and

measuring said response current.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the analyte is an electrochemically reactive molecule.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein the analyte generates an electrochemically reactive molecule.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the analyte forms a part of a first member of a binding pair and said detector further comprises a second member of said binding pair.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said contacting generates an electrochemically reactive molecule upon interaction between said first and said second members of said binding pairs.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said second member of said binding pair is attached to or encapsulated in said peptide nanostructures.

44. A kit for detecting an analyte in a sample, the kit comprising the detector of claim 25 being packaged in a packaging material and identified in print, in or on said packaging material, for use in detecting the analyte.

45. The kit of claim 44, wherein the analyte is an electrochemically reactive molecule.

46. The kit of claim 44, wherein the analyte generates an electrochemically reactive moiety.

47. The kit of claim 44, wherein the analyte forms a part of a first member of a binding pair and said detector further comprises a second member of said binding pair.

48. The kit of claim 47, wherein said contacting produces an electrochemically reactive molecule upon interaction between said first and said second members of said binding pairs.

49. The kit of claim 47, wherein said second member of said binding pair is attached to or encapsulated in said peptide nanostructures.

50. The kit of claim 47, wherein said detector and said second member of said binding pair are individually packaged within the kit.