Using capillary electrophoresis to characterize polymeric particles

• Baseline separation of polystyrene particles achieved based on size and surface functionality.
• Separation of DNA-templated and untemplated particles was demonstrated.
• The Kd for aptamer-functionalized particles and a protein target was determined.
• Heterogeneous binding conditions had a 5-fold higher Kd than homogeneous binding conditions.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used for the characterization of a variety of polymeric micron and sub-micron particles based on size, surface functionality, and binding properties. First, a robust capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was developed for the baseline separation and quantitation of commercially available polystyrene particles with various surface modifications (including amino, carboxylate, and sulfate functional groups) and various sizes (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 μm). The separation of DNA-templated polyacrylamide particles from untemplated particles (as used for the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine) was demonstrated. Finally, using the 29-base thrombin aptamer and thrombin protein as a model system, a study was undertaken to determine dissociation constants for the aptamer and protein in free solution and when the aptamer was conjugated to a particle, with the goal of better understanding how the use of solid substrates, like particles, affects selection and binding processes. Dissociation constants were determined and were found to be approximately 5-fold higher for the aptamer conjugated to a particle relative to that in free solution.