Effects of dopamine concentration on energy transfer between dendrimer–QD and dye-labeled antibody

The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) is currently used to assess Parkinson's disease, and is a key method for determining the progression of disease based on the gross findings of patients. However, this method cannot quantify the extent of disease of patients, which means the administration of drugs cannot be determined on a real-time basis. Thalamotomy also causes discomfort and pain to the patients, and adversely affects treatment as it is performed following the onset of symptoms. Accordingly, the dopamine concentration, which is one of the key factors in determining this disease, needs to be detected quantitatively at ordinary times. Hence, the development of a bio-kit or a bio-sensor is essential for effectively prescribing the correct dopamine concentration in a customizable manner. In this study, the effect of dopamine level on this phenomenon was observed using the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) phenomenon generated between a donor and acceptor. By confirming the photoluminescence (PL) and lifetime data, it was demonstrated that the degree of energy transfer increased with increasing dopamine concentration. To apply this phenomenon to an optical sensor, a glass surface was modified with a quantum dot (QD)-encapsulated dendrimer, and analyzed using the contact angle and ATR-FTIR. The topology of surface was determined by an atomic force microscope (AFM).