Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
870339 | Biosensors and Bioelectronics | 2007 | 7 Pages |
A fully automated system using nano-scale engineered biomagnetite was developed to detect mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bacterial magnetic particles (BacMPs) were isolated from the magnetic bacterium Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 and conjugated to streptavidin. Biotin-labeled target PCR products were then captured with the BacMPs, hybridized with the detection probe and detected by fluorescence signaling. The process was performed using a newly designed automated processor equipped with an XYZ mobile arm containing a 96-way automated pipetter, reagent dispenser and fluorescence detector. Two types of somatic mutations (in-frame deletions and point substitutions) in the EGFR gene were successfully identified within 3.5 h using this system, suggesting that this system could be used in clinical tests of EGFR gene mutations in lung cancer, and potentially other cancer, patients. Additionally, a very low mutation rate could be detected in these samples.