Detection and quantitation of influenza virus particles using nanohybrid
materials. Therese McGinn. Department of Biology, Nebraska Wesleyan
University, Lincoln NE.
Colleagues in the Center for Nanohybrid Functional Materials at UNL have recently
established methods for production of columnar nanoscaffolds, which may serve as
a novel platform for the detection of influenza virus particles. The influenza
hemagglutinin (HA) protein is present on the outer surface of the virus particle,
where it functions as the point of virus attachment to host cells. The external
location of the HA protein and its inherent immunogenic properties indicate that it
is a reasonable target for methods intended to capture influenza particles on the
surface of a nanohybrid biosensor. Development and testing of a nanohybrid
biosensor for influenza virus is proposed in order to detect virus particles in
solution. This will be achieved by sequential attachment of Staphylococcus aureus
protein A and HA-sensing antibodies to three-dimensional nanostructures by
known linker chemistry. The resulting nanohybrid sensors will be exposed to
solutions containing known quantities of influenza virus particles, and virus
attachment will be detected using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation
(QCM-D) and generalized ellipsometry (GE). We hypothesize that this approach will
facilitate quantitation of influenza virions adsorbed to the nanostructures.