Integrated capillary fluorescence DNA biosensor

Covalent attachment of dsDNA molecules inside a glass capillary without the need for hybridization is described. It is shown that the glass capillary has a surface density of 2.5 X 10(13) molecules/cm(2) with specific binding capacity of 62.5%. The resulting substrate was used to develop a biosensor for determining fluorescent organic analytes and metal binding with DNA. The biosensor combines highly specific immobilization chemistry with a capillary-geometry flow cell arrangement. The results show that fluorescent dyes are retained in the dsDNA-modified surface and that exposure to concentrations of nickel and lead ions resulted in a recoverable, highly reproducible diminishment of the fluorescence intensity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.