Kilho Eom's blog

We have recently reported the label-free detection of HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) helicase by using a resonating microcantilever whose surface is functionalized by RNA aptamers as receptor molecules. This work was accepted for publication at Biosensors & Bioelectronics.

Abstract

We have recently reported the piezoelectric thick film microcantilever, which enables the in-situ real-time detection of the protein related to disease (e.g. C reactive protein) in liquid environment. This work was published at APL (click here).

"In-situ real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions based on resonating microcantilevers immersed in a viscous fluid"

We recently reported the mass sensing by using resonating microcantilevers. The characterization of mass-sensing and its related sensitivity was suggested on the basis of elasticity theory.

Recently, I reported the model reduction method for large proteins for understanding large protein dynamics based on low-frequency normal modes. This work was pubslihed at Journal of Computational Chemistry (click here).

Coarse-Graining of protein structures for the normal mode studies

Abstracts 

There has been a lot of attention on the study of mechanics of proteins and/or single molecules. Such study was typically implemented by using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In spite of ability to describe the dynamics of biological macromolecules (e.g. proteins), MD simulation exhibits the computational restriction in the spatial and temporal scale. In order to overcome such computational limitation, the coarse-grained model has recently been taken into account. In this review, I would take a look at a couple of coarse-grained models of protein molecules.

Microcantilevers have taken much attention as devices for label-free detection of molecules and/or their conformations in solutions and air. Recently, microcantilevers have allowed the nanomechanical mass detection of thin film [1-3], small molecules [4, 5], and biological components such as viruses [6] and vesicles [7] in the order of a pico-gram to a zepto-gram. The great potential of microcantilevers is the sensitive, reliable, fast label-free detection of proteins and/or protein conformations. Specifically, microcantilevers are capable of label-free detection of marker proteins related to diseases, even at a low concentration in solution [8-17]. Microcantilevers, operated in a viscous fluid, have also enabled the real-time monitoring of protein-protein interactions [8, 12-15]. Furthermore, microcantilevers are able to recognize the specific protein conformations [18] and/or reversible conformation changes of proteins/polymers [19, 20].