英国伦敦大学学院Rachel A. McKendry、Benjamin S. Miller等研究人员合作发现，自旋增强型纳米金刚石生物传感可用于超灵敏诊断。这一研究成果发表在2020年11月25日出版的国际学术期刊《自然》上。

Title: Spin-enhanced nanodiamond biosensing for ultrasensitive diagnostics

Author: Benjamin S. Miller, Lonard Bezinge, Harriet D. Gliddon, Da Huang, Gavin Dold, Eleanor R. Gray, Judith Heaney, Peter J. Dobson, Eleni Nastouli, John J. L. Morton, Rachel A. McKendry

Issue&Volume: 2020-11-25

Abstract: The quantum spin properties of nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond enable diverse applications in quantum computing and communications1. However, fluorescent nanodiamonds also have attractive properties for in vitro biosensing, including brightness2, low cost3 and selective manipulation of their emission4. Nanoparticle-based biosensors are essential for the early detection of disease, but they often lack the required sensitivity. Here we investigate fluorescent nanodiamonds as an ultrasensitive label for in vitro diagnostics, using a microwave field to modulate emission intensity5 and frequency-domain analysis6 to separate the signal from background autofluorescence7, which typically limits sensitivity. Focusing on the widely used, low-cost lateral flow format as an exemplar, we achieve a detection limit of 8.2 × 1019 molar for a biotin–avidin model, 105 times more sensitive than that obtained using gold nanoparticles. Single-copy detection of HIV-1 RNA can be achieved with the addition of a 10-minute isothermal amplification step, and is further demonstrated using a clinical plasma sample with an extraction step. This ultrasensitive quantum diagnostics platform is applicable to numerous diagnostic test formats and diseases, and has the potential to transform early diagnosis of disease for the benefit of patients and populations.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2917-1

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2917-1