New probes with greatly enhanced protein activity are making life better for scientists studying environmental contaminants. The multilayer polyelectrolyte thin film array slide, developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Joe Zhou, Xichun Zhou and Liyou Wu, overcomes the problem of conventional protein probes, which quickly lose their ability to bind with corresponding target proteins in soil, sediment and water samples. The polyelectrolyte thin film array slide, dubbed PETAS, incorporates a jelly-like plastic consisting of charged polymers whose pores and electrostatic forces preserve protein activity. Compared to protein arrays, this approach results in probes with greater versatility, detection sensitivity, reproducibility, stability and ease of handling at significantly lower cost. Diversified Biotech of Boston has licensed this technology from ORNL. Funding for this project was provided by DOE's Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research.
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