TY - JOUR A1 - Karschuck, Tobias A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Ser, Joey A1 - Tsokolakyan, Astghik A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Wagner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Capacitive model of enzyme-modified field-effect biosensors: Impact of enzyme coverage JF - Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - Electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) belong to field-effect sensors having an attractive transducer architecture for constructing various biochemical sensors. In this study, a capacitive model of enzyme-modified EISCAPs has been developed and the impact of the surface coverage of immobilized enzymes on its capacitance-voltage and constant-capacitance characteristics was studied theoretically and experimentally. The used multicell arrangement enables a multiplexed electrochemical characterization of up to sixteen EISCAPs. Different enzyme coverages have been achieved by means of parallel electrical connection of bare and enzyme-covered single EISCAPs in diverse combinations. As predicted by the model, with increasing the enzyme coverage, both the shift of capacitance-voltage curves and the amplitude of the constant-capacitance signal increase, resulting in an enhancement of analyte sensitivity of the EISCAP biosensor. In addition, the capability of the multicell arrangement with multi-enzyme covered EISCAPs for sequentially detecting multianalytes (penicillin and urea) utilizing the enzymes penicillinase and urease has been experimentally demonstrated and discussed. KW - Field-effect biosensor KW - Capacitive model KW - Enzyme coverage KW - Multianalyte detection KW - Penicillin Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2024.135530 SN - 0925-4005 (Print) SN - 1873-3077 (Online) N1 - Corresponding Author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 408 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Field-effect sensors combined with the scanned light pulse technique: from artificial olfactory images to chemical imaging technologies JF - Chemosensors N2 - The artificial olfactory image was proposed by Lundström et al. in 1991 as a new strategy for an electronic nose system which generated a two-dimensional mapping to be interpreted as a fingerprint of the detected gas species. The potential distribution generated by the catalytic metals integrated into a semiconductor field-effect structure was read as a photocurrent signal generated by scanning light pulses. The impact of the proposed technology spread beyond gas sensing, inspiring the development of various imaging modalities based on the light addressing of field-effect structures to obtain spatial maps of pH distribution, ions, molecules, and impedance, and these modalities have been applied in both biological and non-biological systems. These light-addressing technologies have been further developed to realize the position control of a faradaic current on the electrode surface for localized electrochemical reactions and amperometric measurements, as well as the actuation of liquids in microfluidic devices. KW - visualization KW - light-addressing technologies KW - scanned light pulse technique KW - field-effect structure KW - MOS KW - metal-oxide-semiconductor structure KW - catalytic metal KW - electronic nose KW - gas sensor KW - artificial olfactory image Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors12020020 SN - 2227-9040 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "An Exciting Journey of Chemical Sensors and Biosensors: A Theme Issue in Honor of Professor Ingemar Lundström" Corresponding author: Tatsuo Yoshinobu, Michael J. Schöning VL - 12 IS - 2 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bertz, Morten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Homma, Takayuki T1 - Influence of temperature, light, and H₂O₂ concentration on microbial spore inactivation: in-situ Raman spectroscopy combined with optical trapping JF - Physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science N2 - To gain insight on chemical sterilization processes, the influence of temperature (up to 70 °C), intense green light, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentration (up to 30% in aqueous solution) on microbial spore inactivation is evaluated by in-situ Raman spectroscopy with an optical trap. Bacillus atrophaeus is utilized as a model organism. Individual spores are isolated and their chemical makeup is monitored under dynamically changing conditions (temperature, light, and H₂O₂ concentration) to mimic industrially relevant process parameters for sterilization in the field of aseptic food processing. While isolated spores in water are highly stable, even at elevated temperatures of 70 °C, exposure to H₂O₂ leads to a loss of spore integrity characterized by the release of the key spore biomarker dipicolinic acid (DPA) in a concentration-dependent manner, which indicates damage to the inner membrane of the spore. Intensive light or heat, both of which accelerate the decomposition of H₂O₂ into reactive oxygen species (ROS), drastically shorten the spore lifetime, suggesting the formation of ROS as a rate-limiting step during sterilization. It is concluded that Raman spectroscopy can deliver mechanistic insight into the mode of action of H₂O₂-based sterilization and reveal the individual contributions of different sterilization methods acting in tandem. KW - hydrogen peroxide KW - optical spore trapping KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - sterilization conditions KW - temperature Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202300866 SN - 1862-6319 (Online) SN - 1862-6300 (Print) IS - Early View PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Engelmann, Ulrich M. A1 - Simsek, Beril A1 - Shalaby, Ahmed A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Key contributors to signal generation in frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD): an in silico study JF - Sensors N2 - Frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) is a sensitive and selective technique to detect magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) serving as probes for binding biological targets. Its principle relies on the nonlinear magnetic relaxation dynamics of a particle ensemble interacting with a dual frequency external magnetic field. In order to increase its sensitivity, lower its limit of detection and overall improve its applicability in biosensing, matching combinations of external field parameters and internal particle properties are being sought to advance FMMD. In this study, we systematically probe the aforementioned interaction with coupled Néel–Brownian dynamic relaxation simulations to examine how key MNP properties as well as applied field parameters affect the frequency mixing signal generation. It is found that the core size of MNPs dominates their nonlinear magnetic response, with the strongest contributions from the largest particles. The drive field amplitude dominates the shape of the field-dependent response, whereas effective anisotropy and hydrodynamic size of the particles only weakly influence the signal generation in FMMD. For tailoring the MNP properties and parameters of the setup towards optimal FMMD signal generation, our findings suggest choosing large particles of core sizes dc > 25 nm nm with narrow size distributions (σ < 0.1) to minimize the required drive field amplitude. This allows potential improvements of FMMD as a stand-alone application, as well as advances in magnetic particle imaging, hyperthermia and magnetic immunoassays. KW - key performance indicators KW - magnetic biosensing KW - coupled Néel–Brownian relaxation dynamics KW - frequency mixing magnetic detection KW - magnetic relaxation KW - micromagnetic simulation KW - magnetic nanoparticles Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s24061945 SN - 1424-8220 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Advances in Magnetic Sensors and Their Applications" VL - 24 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Jolmes, Tristan A1 - Oyen, Sven A1 - Jaeger, Karl-Erich A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Schörken, Ulrich A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Novel recombinant aminoacylase from Paraburkholderia monticola capable of N-acyl-amino acid synthesis JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology N2 - N-Acyl-amino acids can act as mild biobased surfactants, which are used, e.g., in baby shampoos. However, their chemical synthesis needs acyl chlorides and does not meet sustainability criteria. Thus, the identification of biocatalysts to develop greener synthesis routes is desirable. We describe a novel aminoacylase from Paraburkholderia monticola DSM 100849 (PmAcy) which was identified, cloned, and evaluated for its N-acyl-amino acid synthesis potential. Soluble protein was obtained by expression in lactose autoinduction medium and co-expression of molecular chaperones GroEL/S. Strep-tag affinity purification enriched the enzyme 16-fold and yielded 15 mg pure enzyme from 100 mL of culture. Biochemical characterization revealed that PmAcy possesses beneficial traits for industrial application like high temperature and pH-stability. A heat activation of PmAcy was observed upon incubation at temperatures up to 80 °C. Hydrolytic activity of PmAcy was detected with several N-acyl-amino acids as substrates and exhibited the highest conversion rate of 773 U/mg with N-lauroyl-L-alanine at 75 °C. The enzyme preferred long-chain acyl-amino-acids and displayed hardly any activity with acetyl-amino acids. PmAcy was also capable of N-acyl-amino acid synthesis with good conversion rates. The best synthesis results were obtained with the cationic L-amino acids L-arginine and L-lysine as well as with L-leucine and L-phenylalanine. Exemplarily, L-phenylalanine was acylated with fatty acids of chain lengths from C8 to C18 with conversion rates of up to 75%. N-lauroyl-L-phenylalanine was purified by precipitation, and the structure of the reaction product was verified by LC–MS and NMR. KW - Chaperone KW - Biocatalysis KW - Aminoacylase KW - Acylation KW - Acyl-amino acids KW - Biosurfactants Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12868-8 SN - 1432-0614 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert IS - 108 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karschuck, Tobias A1 - Schmidt, Stefan A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Wagner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Multiplexing system for automated characterization of a capacitive field-effect sensor array JF - Physica Status Solidi A N2 - In comparison to single-analyte devices, multiplexed systems for a multianalyte detection offer a reduced assay time and sample volume, low cost, and high throughput. Herein, a multiplexing platform for an automated quasi-simultaneous characterization of multiple (up to 16) capacitive field-effect sensors by the capacitive–voltage (C–V) and the constant-capacitance (ConCap) mode is presented. The sensors are mounted in a newly designed multicell arrangement with one common reference electrode and are electrically connected to the impedance analyzer via the base station. A Python script for the automated characterization of the sensors executes the user-defined measurement protocol. The developed multiplexing system is tested for pH measurements and the label-free detection of ligand-stabilized, charged gold nanoparticles. KW - Capacitive field-effect sensor KW - Gold nanoparticles KW - Label-free detection KW - Multicell KW - Multiplexing Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202300265 SN - 1862-6300 (Print) SN - 1862-6319 (Online) N1 - Corresponding author: Michael Josef Schöning VL - 220 IS - 22 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Janus, Kevin Alexander A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Drinic, Aleksander A1 - Kopp, Alexander A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Transient magnesium-based thin-film temperature sensor on a flexible, bioabsorbable substrate for future medical applications JF - Applied Research N2 - In this work, the bioabsorbable materials, namely fibroin, polylactide acid (PLA), magnesium and magnesium oxide are investigated for their application as transient, resistive temperature detectors (RTD). For this purpose, a thin-film magnesium-based meander-like electrode is deposited onto a flexible, bioabsorbable substrate (fibroin or PLA) and encapsulated (passivated) by additional magnesium oxide layers on top and below the magnesium-based electrode. The morphology of different layered RTDs is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The sensor performance and lifetime of the RTD is characterized both under ambient atmospheric conditions between 30°C and 43°C, and wet tissue-like conditions with a constant temperature regime of 37°C. The latter triggers the degradation process of the magnesium-based layers. The 3-layers RTDs on a PLA substrate could achieve a lifetime of 8.5 h. These sensors also show the best sensor performance under ambient atmospheric conditions with a mean sensitivity of 0.48 Ω/°C ± 0.01 Ω/°C. KW - Silk fibroin KW - Polylactide acid KW - Bioabsorbable KW - Resistive temperature detector Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/appl.202300102 SN - 2702-4288 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Michael Josef Schöning IS - Accepted manuscript PB - Wiley-VCH ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Probst, Johanna A1 - Jaeger, Karl-Erich A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Novel aminoacylases from Streptomyces griseus DSM 40236 and their recombinant production in Streptomyces lividans JF - FEBS Open Bio N2 - Amino acid-based surfactants are valuable compounds for cosmetic formulations. The chemical synthesis of acyl-amino acids is conventionally performed by the Schotten-Baumann reaction using fatty acyl chlorides, but aminoacylases have also been investigated for use in biocatalytic synthesis with free fatty acids. Aminoacylases and their properties are diverse; they belong to different peptidase families and show differences in substrate specificity and biocatalytic potential. Bacterial aminoacylases capable of synthesis have been isolated from Burkholderia, Mycolicibacterium, and Streptomyces. Although several proteases and peptidases from S. griseus have been described, no aminoacylases from this species have been identified yet. In this study, we investigated two novel enzymes produced by S. griseus DSM 40236ᵀ . We identified and cloned the respective genes and recombinantly expressed an α-aminoacylase (EC 3.5.1.14), designated SgAA, and an ε-lysine acylase (EC 3.5.1.17), designated SgELA, in S. lividans TK23. The purified aminoacylase SgAA was biochemically characterized, focusing on its hydrolytic activity to determine temperature- and pH optima and stabilities. The aminoacylase could hydrolyze various acetyl-amino acids at the Nα -position with a broad specificity regarding the sidechain. Substrates with longer acyl chains, like lauroyl-amino acids, were hydrolyzed to a lesser extent. Purified aminoacylase SgELA specific for the hydrolysis of Nε -acetyl-L-lysine was unstable and lost its enzymatic activity upon storage for a longer period but could initially be characterized. The pH optimum of SgELA was pH 8.0. While synthesis of acyl-amino acids was not observed with SgELA, SgAA catalyzed the synthesis of lauroyl-methionine. KW - Streptomyces lividans KW - recombinant expression KW - Streptomyces griseus KW - ε-lysine acylase KW - α-aminoacylase Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.13723 SN - 2211-5463 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert VL - 13 IS - 12 SP - 2224 EP - 2238 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wendlandt, Tim A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Britz, Beate A1 - Liedek, Anke A1 - Schmidt, Nora A1 - Werner, Stefan A1 - Gleba, Yuri A1 - Vahidpour, Farnoosh A1 - Welden, Melanie A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Facile Purification and Use of Tobamoviral Nanocarriers for Antibody-Mediated Display of a Two-Enzyme System JF - Viruses N2 - Immunosorbent turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV) particles displaying the IgG-binding domains D and E of Staphylococcus aureus protein A (PA) on every coat protein (CP) subunit (TVCVPA) were purified from plants via optimized and new protocols. The latter used polyethylene glycol (PEG) raw precipitates, from which virions were selectively re-solubilized in reverse PEG concentration gradients. This procedure improved the integrity of both TVCVPA and the wild-type subgroup 3 tobamovirus. TVCVPA could be loaded with more than 500 IgGs per virion, which mediated the immunocapture of fluorescent dyes, GFP, and active enzymes. Bi-enzyme ensembles of cooperating glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase were tethered together on the TVCVPA carriers via a single antibody type, with one enzyme conjugated chemically to its Fc region, and the other one bound as a target, yielding synthetic multi-enzyme complexes. In microtiter plates, the TVCVPA-displayed sugar-sensing system possessed a considerably increased reusability upon repeated testing, compared to the IgG-bound enzyme pair in the absence of the virus. A high coverage of the viral adapters was also achieved on Ta2O5 sensor chip surfaces coated with a polyelectrolyte interlayer, as a prerequisite for durable TVCVPA-assisted electrochemical biosensing via modularly IgG-assembled sensor enzymes. KW - biosensor KW - horseradish peroxidase (HRP) KW - glucose oxidase (GOx) KW - enzyme cascade KW - turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV) KW - tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/doi.org/10.3390/v15091951 SN - 1999-4915 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Tobamoviruses 2023" VL - 9 IS - 15 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bertz, Morten A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Homma, Takayuki T1 - Real-time monitoring of H₂O₂ sterilization on individual bacillus atrophaeus spores by optical sensing with trapping Raman spectroscopy JF - Chemosensors N2 - Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), a strong oxidizer, is a commonly used sterilization agent employed during aseptic food processing and medical applications. To assess the sterilization efficiency with H₂O₂, bacterial spores are common microbial systems due to their remarkable robustness against a wide variety of decontamination strategies. Despite their widespread use, there is, however, only little information about the detailed time-resolved mechanism underlying the oxidative spore death by H₂O₂. In this work, we investigate chemical and morphological changes of individual Bacillus atrophaeus spores undergoing oxidative damage using optical sensing with trapping Raman microscopy in real-time. The time-resolved experiments reveal that spore death involves two distinct phases: (i) an initial phase dominated by the fast release of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a major spore biomarker, which indicates the rupture of the spore’s core; and (ii) the oxidation of the remaining spore material resulting in the subsequent fragmentation of the spores’ coat. Simultaneous observation of the spore morphology by optical microscopy corroborates these mechanisms. The dependence of the onset of DPA release and the time constant of spore fragmentation on H₂O₂ shows that the formation of reactive oxygen species from H₂O₂ is the rate-limiting factor of oxidative spore death. KW - DPA (dipicolinic acid) KW - sterilization KW - Bacillus atrophaeus spores KW - optical trapping KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - optical sensor setup Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors11080445 SN - 2227-9040 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Biosensors and Chemical Sensors for Food and Healthcare Monitoring—Celebrating the 10th Anniversary" VL - 8 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falkenberg, Fabian A1 - Kohn, Sophie A1 - Bott, Michael A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Biochemical characterisation of a novel broad pH spectrum subtilisin from Fictibacillus arsenicus DSM 15822ᵀ JF - FEBS Open Bio N2 - Subtilisins from microbial sources, especially from the Bacillaceae family, are of particular interest for biotechnological applications and serve the currently growing enzyme market as efficient and novel biocatalysts. Biotechnological applications include use in detergents, cosmetics, leather processing, wastewater treatment and pharmaceuticals. To identify a possible candidate for the enzyme market, here we cloned the gene of the subtilisin SPFA from Fictibacillus arsenicus DSM 15822ᵀ (obtained through a data mining-based search) and expressed it in Bacillus subtilis DB104. After production and purification, the protease showed a molecular mass of 27.57 kDa and a pI of 5.8. SPFA displayed hydrolytic activity at a temperature optimum of 80 °C and a very broad pH optimum between 8.5 and 11.5, with high activity up to pH 12.5. SPFA displayed no NaCl dependence but a high NaCl tolerance, with decreasing activity up to concentrations of 5 m NaCl. The stability enhanced with increasing NaCl concentration. Based on its substrate preference for 10 synthetic peptide 4-nitroanilide substrates with three or four amino acids and its phylogenetic classification, SPFA can be assigned to the subgroup of true subtilisins. Moreover, SPFA exhibited high tolerance to 5% (w/v) SDS and 5% H₂O₂ (v/v). The biochemical properties of SPFA, especially its tolerance of remarkably high pH, SDS and H₂O₂, suggest it has potential for biotechnological applications. KW - Bacillaceae KW - Biotechnological application KW - Broad pH spectrum KW - Subtilases KW - Subtilisin Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.13701 SN - 2211-5463 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert VL - 13 IS - 11 SP - 2035 EP - 2046 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Morais, Paulo V. A1 - Suman, Pedro H. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Siqueira Junior, José R. A1 - Orlandi, Marcelo O. T1 - Layer-by-layer film based on Sn₃O₄ nanobelts as sensing units to detect heavy metals using a capacitive field-effect sensor platform JF - Chemosensors N2 - Lead and nickel, as heavy metals, are still used in industrial processes, and are classified as “environmental health hazards” due to their toxicity and polluting potential. The detection of heavy metals can prevent environmental pollution at toxic levels that are critical to human health. In this sense, the electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) field-effect sensor is an attractive sensing platform concerning the fabrication of reusable and robust sensors to detect such substances. This study is aimed to fabricate a sensing unit on an EIS device based on Sn₃O₄ nanobelts embedded in a polyelectrolyte matrix of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The EIS-Sn₃O₄ sensor exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance for detecting Pb²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions, revealing a higher affinity for Pb²⁺ ions, with sensitivities of ca. 25.8 mV/decade and 2.4 mV/decade, respectively. Such results indicate that Sn₃O₄ nanobelts can contemplate a feasible proof-of-concept capacitive field-effect sensor for heavy metal detection, envisaging other future studies focusing on environmental monitoring. KW - Sn₃O₄ KW - nanobelts KW - field-effect sensor KW - LbL films KW - heavy metals Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors11080436 SN - 2227-9040 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Electrochemical Sensors or Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials VL - 11 IS - 8 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Siegert, Petra A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Selmer, Thorsten T1 - Abschlussbericht zum Projekt zur Überwachung biotechnologischer Prozesse mittels Diacetyl-/Acetoin-Biosensor und Evaluierung von Acetoin-Reduktasen zur Verwendung in Biotransformationen Y1 - 2022 N1 - Laufzeit: 01.01.2016 – 31.12.2019 (verlängert bis 31.12.2020) Förderkennzeichen: 322-8.03.04.02-FH-Struktur 2016/02 Gefördert durch: Ministerium für Innovation, Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen CY - Aachen ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Abschlussbericht Teil II: Eingehende Darstellung Neue biobasierte Lipopeptide aus nachhaltiger Produktion (LipoPep) Y1 - 2023 N1 - Förderkennzeichen: 13FH256PA6 Titel: FHprofUnt 2016: Neue biobasierte Lipopeptide aus nachhaltiger Produktion Laufzeit: 01.02.2019 – 31.10.2022 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rabehi, Amine A1 - Garlan, Benjamin A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Ngo, Kieu A1 - Neveu, Sophie A1 - Graff-Dubois, Stephanie A1 - Kokabi, Hamid T1 - Magnetic detection structure for Lab-on-Chip applications based on the frequency mixing technique JF - Sensors N2 - A magnetic frequency mixing technique with a set of miniaturized planar coils was investigated for use with a completely integrated Lab-on-Chip (LoC) pathogen sensing system. The system allows the detection and quantification of superparamagnetic beads. Additionally, in terms of magnetic nanoparticle characterization ability, the system can be used for immunoassays using the beads as markers. Analytical calculations and simulations for both excitation and pick-up coils are presented; the goal was to investigate the miniaturization of simple and cost-effective planar spiral coils. Following these calculations, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) prototype was designed, manufactured, and tested for limit of detection, linear response, and validation of theoretical concepts. Using the magnetic frequency mixing technique, a limit of detection of 15 µg/mL of 20 nm core-sized nanoparticles was achieved without any shielding. KW - Lab-on-Chip KW - magnetic sensing KW - frequency mixing KW - superparamagnetic nanoparticles KW - magnetic beads Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s18061747 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 18 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Schönenborn, Kristina A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Measurement of the magnetophoretic velocity of different superparamagnetic beads JF - Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials N2 - The movement of magnetic beads due to a magnetic field gradient is of great interest in different application fields. In this report we present a technique based on a magnetic tweezers setup to measure the velocity factor of magnetically actuated individual superparamagnetic beads in a fluidic environment. Several beads can be tracked simultaneously in order to gain and improve statistics. Furthermore we show our results for different beads with hydrodynamic diameters between 200 and 1000 nm from diverse manufacturers. These measurement data can, for example, be used to determine design parameters for a magnetic separation system, like maximum flow rate and minimum separation time, or to select suitable beads for fixed experimental requirements. KW - magnetophoretic velocity KW - superparamagnetic bead KW - magnetic tweezers KW - magnetic separation KW - magnetic actuation Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2018.10.066 SN - 0304-8853 VL - 477 IS - 1 SP - 244 EP - 248 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Tödter, Julia A1 - Niehues, Julia A1 - Telöken, Matthias A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim A1 - Schröper, Florian T1 - 3D printed modular immunofiltration columns for frequency mixing-based multiplex magnetic immunodetection JF - Sensors N2 - For performing point-of-care molecular diagnostics, magnetic immunoassays constitute a promising alternative to established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) because they are fast, robust and sensitive. Simultaneous detection of multiple biomolecular targets from one body fluid sample is desired. The aim of this work is to show that multiplex magnetic immunodetection based on magnetic frequency mixing by means of modular immunofiltration columns prepared for different targets is feasible. By calculations of the magnetic response signal, the required spacing between the modules was determined. Immunofiltration columns were manufactured by 3D printing and antibody immobilization was performed in a batch approach. It was shown experimentally that two different target molecules in a sample solution could be individually detected in a single assaying step with magnetic measurements of the corresponding immobilization filters. The arrangement order of the filters and of a negative control did not influence the results. Thus, a simple and reliable approach to multi-target magnetic immunodetection was demonstrated. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s19010148 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 19 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Pourshahidi, Ali Mohammad A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Multiplex detection of different magnetic beads using frequency scanning in magnetic frequency mixing technique JF - Sensors N2 - In modern bioanalytical methods, it is often desired to detect several targets in one sample within one measurement. Immunological methods including those that use superparamagnetic beads are an important group of techniques for these applications. The goal of this work is to investigate the feasibility of simultaneously detecting different superparamagnetic beads acting as markers using the magnetic frequency mixing technique. The frequency of the magnetic excitation field is scanned while the lower driving frequency is kept constant. Due to the particles’ nonlinear magnetization, mixing frequencies are generated. To record their amplitude and phase information, a direct digitization of the pickup-coil’s signal with subsequent Fast Fourier Transformation is performed. By synchronizing both magnetic beads using frequency scanning in magnetic frequency mixing technique magnetic fields, a stable phase information is gained. In this research, it is shown that the amplitude of the dominant mixing component is proportional to the amount of superparamagnetic beads inside a sample. Additionally, it is shown that the phase does not show this behaviour. Excitation frequency scans of different bead types were performed, showing different phases, without correlation to their diverse amplitudes. Two commercially available beads were selected and a determination of their amount in a mixture is performed as a demonstration for multiplex measurements. KW - frequency mixing magnetic detection KW - magnetic sandwich immunoassay KW - multiparametric immunoassays Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s19112599 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 19 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Neuendorf, Christian A1 - Faßbender, Tobias A1 - Nölke, Greta A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim A1 - Schröper, Florian T1 - Sensitive and rapid detection of cholera toxin subunit B using magnetic frequency mixing detection JF - Plos One N2 - Cholera is a life-threatening disease caused by the cholera toxin (CT) as produced by some Vibrio cholerae serogroups. In this research we present a method which directly detects the toxin’s B subunit (CTB) in drinking water. For this purpose we performed a magnetic sandwich immunoassay inside a 3D immunofiltration column. We used two different commercially available antibodies to capture CTB and for binding to superparamagnetic beads. ELISA experiments were performed to select the antibody combination. The beads act as labels for the magnetic frequency mixing detection technique. We show that the limit of detection depends on the type of magnetic beads. A nonlinear Hill curve was fitted to the calibration measurements by means of a custom-written python software. We achieved a sensitive and rapid detection of CTB within a broad concentration range from 0.2 ng/ml to more than 700 ng/ml. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219356 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 14 IS - 7 PB - Plos CY - San Francisco ER - TY - THES A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan T1 - Multiplex-Magnetdetektion von superparamagnetischen Beads zur Identifizierung von Trinkwasserkontaminationen N2 - Die qualitative und quantitative Detektion von Zielsubstanzen innerhalb einer wässrigen Probe ist für viele Fragestellungen von Interesse, etwa bei der Detektion von Kontaminationen in Trinkwasser in Krisensituationen. Hierbei ist es nicht nur wichtig, dass Pathogene möglichst sensitiv detektiert werden können, sondern auch, dass die Analyse schnell erfolgt, um Betroffenen im Katastrophenfall zügig sicheres Trinkwasser zu Verfügung stellen zu können. Da bei einem solchen Szenario nicht von einer in der Nähe befindlichen funktionierenden Laborinfrastruktur ausgegangen werden kann, ist es wichtig, dass die Messung direkt vor Ort erfolgen kann. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob eine derartige Schnellanalytik mithilfe von superparamagnetischen Beads (MBs) und der magnetischen Frequenzmischtechnik möglich ist. Dabei werden die MBs mit Hilfe von primären Antikörpern an die Zielsubstanz gebunden und mit sekundären Antikörpern an die Poren-Oberfläche eines Polyethylen-Filters fixiert (Sandwich-Immunoassay). So kann die Quantifizierung der Zielsubstanz auf eine magnetische Messung der immobilisierten MB-Marker zurückgeführt werden. Die magnetische Frequenzmischtechnik basiert auf der Anregung der Probe mit Magnetfeldern zweier verschiedener Frequenzen. Die durch die nichtlineare Magnetisierungsform der superparamagnetischen MBs entstehenden Mischfrequenzen werden typischerweise mithilfe einer zweistufigen Lock-in-Detektion analysiert (analoge Demodulation), die in einem Magnetreader als Handheldgerät realisiert wurde. Zusätzlich zu dieser Technik wurde das Prinzip der direkten Digitalisierung des gesamten Antwortsignals mit anschließender Fourier-Analyse der erzeugten Mischfrequenzen experimentell umgesetzt, um die Amplituden und Phasen mehrerer Mischfrequenzen simultan zu erfassen. Eine Möglichkeit zur Sensitivitätssteigerung ist die magnetische Aufkonzentration, indem vor der magnetischen Analyse eine Separation der MBs aus einem größeren Probenvolumen mittels magnetischem Feldgradienten durchgeführt wird. Zur Charakterisierung verschiedener kommerzieller MBs hinsichtlich ihrer magnetischen Separierbarkeit wurde ein Aufbau zur Messung ihrer magnetophoretischen Beweglichkeiten realisiert und ihre Geschwindigkeiten im Gradientenfeld mikroskopisch gemessen.Da eine Probe oftmals nicht nur auf eine einzige Zielsubstanz, sondern simultan auf mehrere verschiedene Pathogene hin untersucht werden soll, wurden verschiedene Ansätze entwickelt und getestet, die einen solchen multiparametrischen magnetischen Immunoassay ermöglichen. Einerseits wurde eine räumliche Separation der Bindungsbereiche für verschiedene Zielsubstanzen realisiert, die sequentiell ausgewertet werden können. Andererseits wurde die Unterscheidung von verschiedenen Zielsubstanzen anhand der Charakteristika der an sie gebundenen, verschieden funktionalisierten MB-Typen untersucht. Für eine solche Unterscheidung wurde zum einen die Anregefrequenz der magnetischen Frequenzmischtechnik während einer Messung variiert. Damit konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich verschiedene MB-Sorten anhand der Phase ihrer Frequenzmischsignale voneinander unterscheiden lassen. Weiterhin wurde gezeigt, dass sich der Signalverlauf einer binären Mischung zweier verschiedener MB-Typen als gradueller Übergang der Verläufe der beiden reinen MB-Lösungen ergibt. Eine weitere Analysemethode für einen multiparametrischen Immunoassay besteht darin, ein zusätzliches einstellbares statisches magnetisches Offsetfeld zu verwenden. Hierfür wurden mehrere Aufbauten auf Basis von Permanent- und Elektromagneten simuliert, konstruiert und charakterisiert. Mithilfe von Simulationen konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine auf diesem Verfahren beruhende Unterscheidung für MBs mit unterschiedlichen magnetischen Partikelmomenten möglich ist. Als direkte Anwendung des hier entwickelten Magnetreaders in Zusammenspiel mit der digitalen Demodulation wurde ein magnetischer Assay gegen die B-Untereinheit des Choleratoxins in Trinkwasser mit einem niedrigen Detektionslimit von 0,2 ng/ml demonstriert. N2 - The qualitative and quantitative detection of target substances in an aqueous sample is of interest for many questions, for example in the detection of contaminations in drinking water in crisis situations. It is not only important that pathogens can be detected with highest possible sensitivity, but also that the analysis is carried out quickly so that safe drinking water can be provided in the event of a disaster. During such a scenario one cannot rely on a functioning laboratory infrastructure nearby. Therefore it is important that the measurement can be carried out directly on site. Within the scope of this work, it was investigated whether such a quick analysis can be performed using superparamagnetic beads (MBs) and the magnetic frequency mixing technique. The MBs are bound to the target substance with the aid of primary antibodies and fixed to the pore surfaces of a polyethylene filter with secondary antibodies (sandwich immunoassay). The quantification of the target substance can thus be traced back to a magnetic measurement of the immobilized MB markers. The magnetic frequency mixing technique is based on the excitation of the sample with magnetic fields of two different frequencies. The mixing frequencies generated due to the non-linear shape of the magnetization of the superparamagnetic MBs are typically analyzed using a two-stage Lock-in detection (analog demodulation), which was implemented in a magnetic reader as a handheld device. In addition to this technique, the principle of direct digitization of the entire response signal with subsequent Fourier analysis of the generated mixing frequencies was experimentally implemented in order to simultaneously record the amplitudes and phases of several mixing frequencies. One possibility for increasing the sensitivity is magnetic concentration. In that case, the MBs are separated from a larger sample volume by means of a magnetic field gradient before the magnetic analysis. To characterize various commercial MBs with regard to their magnetic separability, a setup for measuring their magnetophoretic mobility was implemented and their velocities in the gradient field were measured with an optical microscope.Often, a sample has to be examined not only for a single target substance, but for several different pathogens simultaneously. Various approaches have been developed and tested which enable such a multiparametric magnetic immunoassay. On the one hand, a spatial separation of the binding areas for different target substances was realized, which can be evaluated sequentially. On the other hand, a distinction among different target substances based on the magnetic characteristics of their attached different MB types was examined. For this discrimination, the excitation frequency of the magnetic frequency mixing technology was varied during measurement. It is shown that different MB types can be distinguished from one another based on the phase of their frequency mixing signals. The signal curve of a binary mixture of two different MB types is obtained as a gradual transition of the curves of the two pure MB solutions. Another method of analysis for a multiparametric immunoassay is based on an additional adjustable static magnetic offset field. For this purpose, several setups based on permanent magnets and electromagnets were simulated, designed and characterized. The simulations show that a distinction based on this method is possible for MBs with different magnetic particle moments. As a direct application of the developed magnetic reader in conjunction with digital demodulation, a magnetic assay against the B subunit of cholera toxin in drinking water was demonstrated, and a low detection limit of 0.2 ng/ml was achieved. KW - Choleratoxin B KW - Trinkwassersicherheit KW - cholera toxin B KW - drinking water safety KW - magnetic frequency mixing technique Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.18154/RWTH-2020-12052 N1 - Dissertation, RWTH Aachen University, 2020 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Janus, Kevin Alexander A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Tempel, Laura A1 - Drinic, Aleksaner A1 - Kopp, Alexander A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Influence of fibroin membrane composition and curing parameters on the performance of a biodegradable enzymatic biosensor manufactured from Silicon-Free Carbon JF - Physica status solidi : pss. A, Applications and materials science N2 - Herein, fibroin, polylactide (PLA), and carbon are investigated for their suitability as biocompatible and biodegradable materials for amperometric biosensors. For this purpose, screen-printed carbon electrodes on the biodegradable substrates fibroin and PLA are modified with a glucose oxidase membrane and then encapsulated with the biocompatible material Ecoflex. The influence of different curing parameters of the carbon electrodes on the resulting biosensor characteristics is studied. The morphology of the electrodes is investigated by scanning electron microscopy, and the biosensor performance is examined by amperometric measurements of glucose (0.5–10 mM) in phosphate buffer solution, pH 7.4, at an applied potential of 1.2 V versus a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Instead of Ecoflex, fibroin, PLA, and wound adhesive are tested as alternative encapsulation compounds: a series of swelling tests with different fibroin compositions, PLA, and Ecoflex has been performed before characterizing the most promising candidates by chronoamperometry. Therefore, the carbon electrodes are completely covered with the particular encapsulation material. Chronoamperometric measurements with H2O2 concentrations between 0.5 and 10 mM enable studying the leakage current behavior. KW - amperometric biosensors KW - biocompatible KW - biodegradabl KW - encapsulation materials KW - fibroin Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202300081 SN - 1862-6300 (Print) SN - 1862-6319 (Online) N1 - Corresponding author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 220 IS - 22 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falkenberg, Fabian A1 - Voß, Leonie A1 - Bott, Michael A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - New robust subtilisins from halotolerant and halophilic Bacillaceae JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology N2 - The aim of the present study was the characterisation of three true subtilisins and one phylogenetically intermediate subtilisin from halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms. Considering the currently growing enzyme market for efficient and novel biocatalysts, data mining is a promising source for novel, as yet uncharacterised enzymes, especially from halophilic or halotolerant Bacillaceae, which offer great potential to meet industrial needs. Both halophilic bacteria Pontibacillus marinus DSM 16465ᵀ and Alkalibacillus haloalkaliphilus DSM 5271ᵀ and both halotolerant bacteria Metabacillus indicus DSM 16189 and Litchfieldia alkalitelluris DSM 16976ᵀ served as a source for the four new subtilisins SPPM, SPAH, SPMI and SPLA. The protease genes were cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. Purification to apparent homogeneity was achieved by ethanol precipitation, desalting and ion-exchange chromatography. Enzyme activity could be observed between pH 5.0–12.0 with an optimum for SPPM, SPMI and SPLA around pH 9.0 and for SPAH at pH 10.0. The optimal temperature for SPMI and SPLA was 70 °C and for SPPM and SPAH 55 °C and 50 °C, respectively. All proteases showed high stability towards 5% (w/v) SDS and were active even at NaCl concentrations of 5 M. The four proteases demonstrate potential for future biotechnological applications. KW - Biotechnological application KW - Bacillaceae KW - Subtilisin KW - Subtilases KW - Halotolerant protease Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12553-w SN - 1432-0614 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert VL - 107 SP - 3939 EP - 3954 PB - Springer Nature CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Wirges, Jessika A1 - Tanzmann, Nicole A1 - Oyen, Sven A1 - Jolmes, Tristan A1 - Jaeger, Karl-Erich A1 - Schörken, Ulrich A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Chaperone assisted recombinant expression of a mycobacterial aminoacylase in Vibrio natriegens and Escherichia coli capable of N-lauroyl-L-amino acid synthesis JF - Microbial Cell Factories N2 - Background Aminoacylases are highly promising enzymes for the green synthesis of acyl-amino acids, potentially replacing the environmentally harmful Schotten-Baumann reaction. Long-chain acyl-amino acids can serve as strong surfactants and emulsifiers, with application in cosmetic industries. Heterologous expression of these enzymes, however, is often hampered, limiting their use in industrial processes. Results We identified a novel mycobacterial aminoacylase gene from Mycolicibacterium smegmatis MKD 8, cloned and expressed it in Escherichia coli and Vibrio natriegens using the T7 overexpression system. The recombinant enzyme was prone to aggregate as inclusion bodies, and while V. natriegens Vmax™ could produce soluble aminoacylase upon induction with isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), E. coli BL21 (DE3) needed autoinduction with lactose to produce soluble recombinant protein. We successfully conducted a chaperone co-expression study in both organisms to further enhance aminoacylase production and found that overexpression of chaperones GroEL/S enhanced aminoacylase activity in the cell-free extract 1.8-fold in V. natriegens and E. coli. Eventually, E. coli ArcticExpress™ (DE3), which co-expresses cold-adapted chaperonins Cpn60/10 from Oleispira antarctica, cultivated at 12 °C, rendered the most suitable expression system for this aminoacylase and exhibited twice the aminoacylase activity in the cell-free extract compared to E. coli BL21 (DE3) with GroEL/S co-expression at 20 °C. The purified aminoacylase was characterized based on hydrolytic activities, being most stable and active at pH 7.0, with a maximum activity at 70 °C, and stability at 40 °C and pH 7.0 for 5 days. The aminoacylase strongly prefers short-chain acyl-amino acids with smaller, hydrophobic amino acid residues. Several long-chain amino acids were fairly accepted in hydrolysis as well, especially N-lauroyl-L-methionine. To initially evaluate the relevance of this aminoacylase for the synthesis of N-acyl-amino acids, we demonstrated that lauroyl-methionine can be synthesized from lauric acid and methionine in an aqueous system. Conclusion Our results suggest that the recombinant enzyme is well suited for synthesis reactions and will thus be further investigated. KW - Acyl-amino acids KW - Inclusion bodies KW - Chaperone co-expression KW - Vibrio natriegens KW - Aminoacylase Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12934-023-02079-1 SN - 1475-2859 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert IS - 22 SP - Article number: 77 (2023) PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Bronder, Thomas A1 - Wu, Chunsheng A1 - Scheja, Sabrina A1 - Jessing, Max A1 - Metzger-Boddien, Christoph A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Poghossian, Arshak T1 - Label-Free DNA Detection with Capacitive Field-Effect Devices—Challenges and Opportunities JF - Proceedings N2 - Field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensors modified with a positively charged weak polyelectrolyte layer have been applied for the electrical detection of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) immobilization and hybridization by the intrinsic molecular charge. The EIS sensors are able to detect the existence of target DNA amplicons in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) samples and thus, can be used as tool for a quick verification of DNA amplification and the successful PCR process. Due to their miniaturized setup, compatibility with advanced micro- and nanotechnologies, and ability to detect biomolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge, those sensors can serve as possible platform for the development of label-free DNA chips. Possible application fields as well as challenges and limitations will be discussed. Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/proceedings1080719 SN - 2504-3900 N1 - This article belongs to the Proceedings of "Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Sensor Science (I3S 2017)" VL - 1 IS - 8 SP - Artikel 719 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Welden, Rene A1 - Jablonski, Melanie A1 - Wege, Christina A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Wagner, Patrick Hermann A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Light-Addressable Actuator-Sensor Platform for Monitoring and Manipulation of pH Gradients in Microfluidics: A Case Study with the Enzyme Penicillinase JF - Biosensors N2 - The feasibility of light-addressed detection and manipulation of pH gradients inside an electrochemical microfluidic cell was studied. Local pH changes, induced by a light-addressable electrode (LAE), were detected using a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) with different measurement modes representing an actuator-sensor system. Biosensor functionality was examined depending on locally induced pH gradients with the help of the model enzyme penicillinase, which had been immobilized in the microfluidic channel. The surface morphology of the LAE and enzyme-functionalized LAPS was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the penicillin sensitivity of the LAPS inside the microfluidic channel was determined with regard to the analyte’s pH influence on the enzymatic reaction rate. In a final experiment, the LAE-controlled pH inhibition of the enzyme activity was monitored by the LAPS. KW - microfluidics KW - enzyme kinetics KW - actuator-sensor system KW - light-addressable electrode KW - light-addressable potentiometric sensor Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bios11060171 SN - 2079-6374 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Selected Papers from the 1st International Electronic Conference on Biosensors (IECB 2020)" VL - 11 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Welden, Melanie A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Vahidpour, Farnoosh A1 - Wendlandt, Tim A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Wege, Christina A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Towards multi-analyte detection with field-effect capacitors modified with tobacco mosaic virus bioparticles as enzyme nanocarriers JF - Biosensors N2 - Utilizing an appropriate enzyme immobilization strategy is crucial for designing enzyme-based biosensors. Plant virus-like particles represent ideal nanoscaffolds for an extremely dense and precise immobilization of enzymes, due to their regular shape, high surface-to-volume ratio and high density of surface binding sites. In the present work, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles were applied for the co-immobilization of penicillinase and urease onto the gate surface of a field-effect electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitor (EISCAP) with a p-Si-SiO₂-Ta₂O₅ layer structure for the sequential detection of penicillin and urea. The TMV-assisted bi-enzyme EISCAP biosensor exhibited a high urea and penicillin sensitivity of 54 and 85 mV/dec, respectively, in the concentration range of 0.1–3 mM. For comparison, the characteristics of single-enzyme EISCAP biosensors modified with TMV particles immobilized with either penicillinase or urease were also investigated. The surface morphology of the TMV-modified Ta₂O₅-gate was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the bi-enzyme EISCAP was applied to mimic an XOR (Exclusive OR) enzyme logic gate. KW - urease KW - enzyme-logic gate KW - bi-enzyme biosensor KW - capacitive field-effect sensor KW - tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) KW - penicillinase Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bios12010043 SN - 2079-6374 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Biosensors: 10th Anniversary Feature Papers" VL - 12 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Welden, Melanie A1 - Severins, Robin A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Wege, Christina A1 - Siegert, Petra A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Studying the immobilization of acetoin reductase with Tobacco mosaic virus particles on capacitive field-effect sensors T2 - 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN) N2 - A capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EISCAP) biosensor modified with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles for the detection of acetoin is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase (AR) was immobilized on the surface of the EISCAP using TMV particles as nanoscaffolds. The study focused on the optimization of the TMV-assisted AR immobilization on the Ta 2 O 5 -gate EISCAP surface. The TMV-assisted acetoin EISCAPs were electrochemically characterized by means of leakage-current, capacitance-voltage, and constant-capacitance measurements. The TMV-modified transducer surface was studied via scanning electron microscopy. KW - Tobacco mosaic virus KW - acetoin KW - capacitive field-effect biosensor KW - enzyme immobilization Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-1-6654-5860-3 (Online) SN - 978-1-6654-5861-0 (Print) U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ISOEN54820.2022.9789657 N1 - IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), 29 May 2022 - 01 June 2022, Aveiro, Portugal. PB - IEEE ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Welden, Melanie A1 - Severins, Robin A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Wege, Christina A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Detection of acetoin and diacetyl by a tobacco mosaic virus-assisted field-effect biosensor JF - Chemosensors N2 - Acetoin and diacetyl have a major impact on the flavor of alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer. Therefore, their measurement is important during the fermentation process. Until now, gas chromatographic techniques have typically been applied; however, these require expensive laboratory equipment and trained staff, and do not allow for online monitoring. In this work, a capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensor modified with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as enzyme nanocarriers for the detection of acetoin and diacetyl is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase from Alkalihalobacillus clausii DSM 8716ᵀ is immobilized via biotin–streptavidin affinity, binding to the surface of the TMV particles. The TMV-assisted biosensor is electrochemically characterized by means of leakage–current, capacitance–voltage, and constant capacitance measurements. In this paper, the novel biosensor is studied regarding its sensitivity and long-term stability in buffer solution. Moreover, the TMV-assisted capacitive field-effect sensor is applied for the detection of diacetyl for the first time. The measurement of acetoin and diacetyl with the same sensor setup is demonstrated. Finally, the successive detection of acetoin and diacetyl in buffer and in diluted beer is studied by tuning the sensitivity of the biosensor using the pH value of the measurement solution. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors10060218 SN - 2227-9040 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Nanostructured Devices for Biochemical Sensing" VL - 10 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - A convenient ninhydrin assay in 96-well format for amino acid-releasing enzymes using an air-stable reagent JF - Analytical Biochemistry N2 - An improved and convenient ninhydrin assay for aminoacylase activity measurements was developed using the commercial EZ Nin™ reagent. Alternative reagents from literature were also evaluated and compared. The addition of DMSO to the reagent enhanced the solubility of Ruhemann's purple (RP). Furthermore, we found that the use of a basic, aqueous buffer enhances stability of RP. An acidic protocol for the quantification of lysine was developed by addition of glacial acetic acid. The assay allows for parallel processing in a 96-well format with measurements microtiter plates. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2022.114819 SN - 1096-0309 IS - 624 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falkenberg, Fabian A1 - Bott, Michael A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Phylogenetic survey of the subtilase family and a data-mining-based search for new subtilisins from Bacillaceae JF - Frontiers in Microbiology N2 - The subtilase family (S8), a member of the clan SB of serine proteases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life and fulfil different physiological functions. Subtilases are divided in several groups and especially subtilisins are of interest as they are used in various industrial sectors. Therefore, we searched for new subtilisin sequences of the family Bacillaceae using a data mining approach. The obtained 1,400 sequences were phylogenetically classified in the context of the subtilase family. This required an updated comprehensive overview of the different groups within this family. To fill this gap, we conducted a phylogenetic survey of the S8 family with characterised holotypes derived from the MEROPS database. The analysis revealed the presence of eight previously uncharacterised groups and 13 subgroups within the S8 family. The sequences that emerged from the data mining with the set filter parameters were mainly assigned to the subtilisin subgroups of true subtilisins, high-alkaline subtilisins, and phylogenetically intermediate subtilisins and represent an excellent source for new subtilisin candidates. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1017978 SN - 1664-302X VL - 2022 IS - 13 PB - Frontiers CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vahidpour, Farnoosh A1 - Guthman, Eric A1 - Arreola, Julia A1 - Alghazali, Yousef H. M. A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Assessment of Various Process Parameters for Optimized Sterilization Conditions Using a Multi-Sensing Platform JF - Foods N2 - In this study, an online multi-sensing platform was engineered to simultaneously evaluate various process parameters of food package sterilization using gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The platform enabled the validation of critical aseptic parameters. In parallel, one series of microbiological count reduction tests was performed using highly resistant spores of B. atrophaeus DSM 675 to act as the reference method for sterility validation. By means of the multi-sensing platform together with microbiological tests, we examined sterilization process parameters to define the most effective conditions with regards to the highest spore kill rate necessary for aseptic packaging. As these parameters are mutually associated, a correlation between different factors was elaborated. The resulting correlation indicated the need for specific conditions regarding the applied H₂O₂ gas temperature, the gas flow and concentration, the relative humidity and the exposure time. Finally, the novel multi-sensing platform together with the mobile electronic readout setup allowed for the online and on-site monitoring of the sterilization process, selecting the best conditions for sterility and, at the same time, reducing the use of the time-consuming and costly microbiological tests that are currently used in the food package industry. KW - spore kill rate KW - sterility KW - aseptic parameters KW - multi-sensing platform KW - gaseous hydrogen peroxide Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods11050660 SN - 2304-8158 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Sensors and Biosensors Application for Food Industries" VL - 11 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pourshahidi, Ali Mohammad A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Nambipareechee, Mrinal Murali A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Multiplex detection of magnetic beads using offset field dependent frequency mixing magnetic detection JF - Sensors N2 - Magnetic immunoassays employing Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection (FMMD) have recently become increasingly popular for quantitative detection of various analytes. Simultaneous analysis of a sample for two or more targets is desirable in order to reduce the sample amount, save consumables, and save time. We show that different types of magnetic beads can be distinguished according to their frequency mixing response to a two-frequency magnetic excitation at different static magnetic offset fields. We recorded the offset field dependent FMMD response of two different particle types at frequencies ƒ₁ + n⋅ƒ₂, n = 1, 2, 3, 4 with ƒ₁ = 30.8 kHz and ƒ₂ = 63 Hz. Their signals were clearly distinguishable by the locations of the extremes and zeros of their responses. Binary mixtures of the two particle types were prepared with different mixing ratios. The mixture samples were analyzed by determining the best linear combination of the two pure constituents that best resembled the measured signals of the mixtures. Using a quadratic programming algorithm, the mixing ratios could be determined with an accuracy of greater than 14%. If each particle type is functionalized with a different antibody, multiplex detection of two different analytes becomes feasible. KW - colorization KW - multiplex detection KW - frequency mixing magnetic detection KW - magnetic nanoparticles Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21175859 SN - 1424-8220 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications" VL - 21 IS - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Welden, Rene A1 - Buniatyan, Vahe V. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - An Array of On-Chip Integrated, Individually Addressable Capacitive Field-Effect Sensors with Control Gate: Design and Modelling JF - Sensors N2 - The on-chip integration of multiple biochemical sensors based on field-effect electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) is challenging due to technological difficulties in realization of electrically isolated EISCAPs on the same Si chip. In this work, we present a new simple design for an array of on-chip integrated, individually electrically addressable EISCAPs with an additional control gate (CG-EISCAP). The existence of the CG enables an addressable activation or deactivation of on-chip integrated individual CG-EISCAPs by simple electrical switching the CG of each sensor in various setups, and makes the new design capable for multianalyte detection without cross-talk effects between the sensors in the array. The new designed CG-EISCAP chip was modelled in so-called floating/short-circuited and floating/capacitively-coupled setups, and the corresponding electrical equivalent circuits were developed. In addition, the capacitance-voltage curves of the CG-EISCAP chip in different setups were simulated and compared with that of a single EISCAP sensor. Moreover, the sensitivity of the CG-EISCAP chip to surface potential changes induced by biochemical reactions was simulated and an impact of different parameters, such as gate voltage, insulator thickness and doping concentration in Si, on the sensitivity has been discussed. KW - equivalent circuit KW - multianalyte detection KW - control gate KW - on-chip integrated addressable EISCAP sensors KW - capacitive field-effect sensor Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21186161 SN - 1424-8220 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Field-Effect Sensors: From pH Sensing to Biosensing" VL - 21 IS - 18 SP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karschuck, Tobias A1 - Kaulen, Corinna A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Wagner, Patrick H. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Gold nanoparticle-modified capacitive field-effect sensors: Studying the surface density of nanoparticles and coupling of charged polyelectrolyte macromolecules JF - Electrochemical Science Advances N2 - The coupling of ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles with field-effect devices offers new possibilities for label-free biosensing. In this work, we study the immobilization of aminooctanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuAOTs) on the silicon dioxide surface of a capacitive field-effect sensor. The terminal amino group of the AuAOT is well suited for the functionalization with biomolecules. The attachment of the positively-charged AuAOTs on a capacitive field-effect sensor was detected by direct electrical readout using capacitance-voltage and constant capacitance measurements. With a higher particle density on the sensor surface, the measured signal change was correspondingly more pronounced. The results demonstrate the ability of capacitive field-effect sensors for the non-destructive quantitative validation of nanoparticle immobilization. In addition, the electrostatic binding of the polyanion polystyrene sulfonate to the AuAOT-modified sensor surface was studied as a model system for the label-free detection of charged macromolecules. Most likely, this approach can be transferred to the label-free detection of other charged molecules such as enzymes or antibodies. KW - polystyrene sulfonate KW - gold nanoparticles KW - field-effect sensor KW - detection of charged macromolecules KW - capacitive EIS sensor Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsa.202100179 SN - 0938-5193 VL - 2 IS - 5 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pourshahidi, Ali Mohammad A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim ED - Offenhäusser, Andreas T1 - Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection Setup Employing Permanent Ring Magnets as a Static Offset Field Source JF - Sensors N2 - Frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) has been explored for its applications in fields of magnetic biosensing, multiplex detection of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and the determination of core size distribution of MNP samples. Such applications rely on the application of a static offset magnetic field, which is generated traditionally with an electromagnet. Such a setup requires a current source, as well as passive or active cooling strategies, which directly sets a limitation based on the portability aspect that is desired for point of care (POC) monitoring applications. In this work, a measurement head is introduced that involves the utilization of two ring-shaped permanent magnets to generate a static offset magnetic field. A steel cylinder in the ring bores homogenizes the field. By variation of the distance between the ring magnets and of the thickness of the steel cylinder, the magnitude of the magnetic field at the sample position can be adjusted. Furthermore, the measurement setup is compared to the electromagnet offset module based on measured signals and temperature behavior. KW - magnetic sensors KW - biosensors KW - frequency mixing magnetic detection KW - magnetic nanoparticles Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22228776 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 22 IS - 22 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Karschuck, Tobias A1 - Wagner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Field-Effect Capacitors Decorated with Ligand-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles: Modeling and Experiments JF - Biosensors N2 - Nanoparticles are recognized as highly attractive tunable materials for designing field-effect biosensors with enhanced performance. In this work, we present a theoretical model for electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) decorated with ligand-stabilized charged gold nanoparticles. The charged AuNPs are taken into account as additional, nanometer-sized local gates. The capacitance-voltage (C–V) curves and constant-capacitance (ConCap) signals of the AuNP-decorated EISCAPs have been simulated. The impact of the AuNP coverage on the shift of the C–V curves and the ConCap signals was also studied experimentally on Al–p-Si–SiO₂ EISCAPs decorated with positively charged aminooctanethiol-capped AuNPs. In addition, the surface of the EISCAPs, modified with AuNPs, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy for different immobilization times of the nanoparticles. KW - aminooctanethiol KW - nanoparticle coverage KW - capacitive model KW - gold nanoparticles KW - field-effect sensor KW - electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bios12050334 SN - 2079-6374 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Biosensors in Nanotechnology" VL - 12 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vahidpour, Farnoosh A1 - Alghazali, Yousef A1 - Akca, Sevilay A1 - Hommes, Gregor A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - An Enzyme-Based Interdigitated Electrode-Type Biosensor for Detecting Low Concentrations of H₂O₂ Vapor/Aerosol JF - Chemosensors N2 - This work introduces a novel method for the detection of H₂O₂ vapor/aerosol of low concentrations, which is mainly applied in the sterilization of equipment in medical industry. Interdigitated electrode (IDE) structures have been fabricated by means of microfabrication techniques. A differential setup of IDEs was prepared, containing an active sensor element (active IDE) and a passive sensor element (passive IDE), where the former was immobilized with an enzymatic membrane of horseradish peroxidase that is selective towards H₂O₂. Changes in the IDEs’ capacitance values (active sensor element versus passive sensor element) under H₂O₂ vapor/aerosol atmosphere proved the detection in the concentration range up to 630 ppm with a fast response time (<60 s). The influence of relative humidity was also tested with regard to the sensor signal, showing no cross-sensitivity. The repeatability assessment of the IDE biosensors confirmed their stable capacitive signal in eight subsequent cycles of exposure to H₂O₂ vapor/aerosol. Room-temperature detection of H₂O₂ vapor/aerosol with such miniaturized biosensors will allow a future three-dimensional, flexible mapping of aseptic chambers and help to evaluate sterilization assurance in medical industry. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors10060202 SN - 2227-9040 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Bioinspired Chemical Sensors and Micro-Nano Devices" VL - 10 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haeger, Gerrit A1 - Grankin, Alina A1 - Wagner, Michaela T1 - Construction of an Aspergillus oryzae triple amylase deletion mutant as a chassis to evaluate industrially relevant amylases using multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 editing technology JF - Applied Research N2 - Aspergillus oryzae is an industrially relevant organism for the secretory production of heterologous enzymes, especially amylases. The activities of potential heterologous amylases, however, cannot be quantified directly from the supernatant due to the high background activity of native α-amylase. This activity is caused by the gene products of amyA, amyB, and amyC. In this study, an in vitro CRISPR/Cas9 system was established in A. oryzae to delete these genes simultaneously. First, pyrG of A. oryzae NSAR1 was mutated by exploiting NHEJ to generate a counter-selection marker. Next, all amylase genes were deleted simultaneously by co-transforming a repair template carrying pyrG of Aspergillus nidulans and flanking sequences of amylase gene loci. The rate of obtained triple knock-outs was 47%. We showed that triple knockouts do not retain any amylase activity in the supernatant. The established in vitro CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to achieve sequence-specific knock-in of target genes. The system was intended to incorporate a single copy of the gene of interest into the desired host for the development of screening methods. Therefore, an integration cassette for the heterologous Fpi amylase was designed to specifically target the amyB locus. The site-specific integration rate of the plasmid was 78%, with exceptional additional integrations. Integration frequency was assessed via qPCR and directly correlated with heterologous amylase activity. Hence, we could compare the efficiency between two different signal peptides. In summary, we present a strategy to exploit CRISPR/Cas9 for gene mutation, multiplex knock-out, and the targeted knock-in of an expression cassette in A. oryzae. Our system provides straightforward strain engineering and paves the way for development of fungal screening systems. KW - aspergillus KW - CRISPR/Cas9 KW - filamentous fungi KW - genome engineering Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200106 SN - 2702-4288 IS - Early View SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Wiley-VCH ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Janus, Kevin Alexander A1 - Fang, Anyelina C. A1 - Drinic, Aleksander A1 - Achtsnicht, Stefan A1 - Köpf, Marius A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Thick-film carbon electrode deposited onto a biodegradable fibroin substrate for biosensing applications JF - Physica status solidi (a) N2 - This study addresses a proof-of-concept experiment with a biocompatible screen-printed carbon electrode deposited onto a biocompatible and biodegradable substrate, which is made of fibroin, a protein derived from silk of the Bombyx mori silkworm. To demonstrate the sensor performance, the carbon electrode is functionalized as a glucose biosensor with the enzyme glucose oxidase and encapsulated with a silicone rubber to ensure biocompatibility of the contact wires. The carbon electrode is fabricated by means of thick-film technology including a curing step to solidify the carbon paste. The influence of the curing temperature and curing time on the electrode morphology is analyzed via scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical characterization of the glucose biosensor is performed by amperometric/voltammetric measurements of different glucose concentrations in phosphate buffer. Herein, systematic studies at applied potentials from 500 to 1200 mV to the carbon working electrode (vs the Ag/AgCl reference electrode) allow to determine the optimal working potential. Additionally, the influence of the curing parameters on the glucose sensitivity is examined over a time period of up to 361 days. The sensor shows a negligible cross-sensitivity toward ascorbic acid, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. The developed biocompatible biosensor is highly promising for future in vivo and epidermal applications. KW - biocompatible materials KW - biodegradable electronic devices KW - biosensors KW - carbon electrodes KW - glucose Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202200100 SN - 1862-6319 N1 - Corresponding author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 219 IS - 23 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Engelmann, Ulrich M. A1 - Pourshahidi, Mohammad Ali A1 - Shalaby, Ahmed A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Probing particle size dependency of frequency mixing magnetic detection with dynamic relaxation simulation JF - Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials N2 - Biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) fundamentally rely on the particles’ magnetic relaxation as a response to an alternating magnetic field. The magnetic relaxation complexly depends on the interplay of MNP magnetic and physical properties with the applied field parameters. It is commonly accepted that particle core size is a major contributor to signal generation in all the above applications, however, most MNP samples comprise broad distribution spanning nm and more. Therefore, precise knowledge of the exact contribution of individual core sizes to signal generation is desired for optimal MNP design generally for each application. Specifically, we present a magnetic relaxation simulation-driven analysis of experimental frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) for biosensing to quantify the contributions of individual core size fractions towards signal generation. Applying our method to two different experimental MNP systems, we found the most dominant contributions from approx. 20 nm sized particles in the two independent MNP systems. Additional comparison between freely suspended and immobilized MNP also reveals insight in the MNP microstructure, allowing to use FMMD for MNP characterization, as well as to further fine-tune its applicability in biosensing. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169965 SN - 0304-8853 VL - 563 IS - In progress, Art. No. 169965 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pourshahidi, Ali Mohammad A1 - Engelmann, Ulrich M. A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Krause, Hans-Joachim T1 - Resolving ambiguities in core size determination of magnetic nanoparticles from magnetic frequency mixing data JF - Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials N2 - Frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) has been widely utilized as a measurement technique in magnetic immunoassays. It can also be used for the characterization and distinction (also known as “colourization”) of different types of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) based on their core sizes. In a previous work, it was shown that the large particles contribute most of the FMMD signal. This leads to ambiguities in core size determination from fitting since the contribution of the small-sized particles is almost undetectable among the strong responses from the large ones. In this work, we report on how this ambiguity can be overcome by modelling the signal intensity using the Langevin model in thermodynamic equilibrium including a lognormal core size distribution fL(dc,d0,σ) fitted to experimentally measured FMMD data of immobilized MNPs. For each given median diameter d0, an ambiguous amount of best-fitting pairs of parameters distribution width σ and number of particles Np with R2 > 0.99 are extracted. By determining the samples’ total iron mass, mFe, with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), we are then able to identify the one specific best-fitting pair (σ, Np) one uniquely. With this additional externally measured parameter, we resolved the ambiguity in core size distribution and determined the parameters (d0, σ, Np) directly from FMMD measurements, allowing precise MNPs sample characterization. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169969 SN - 0304-8853 VL - 563 IS - In progress, Art. No. 169969 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falkenberg, Fabian A1 - Rahba, Jade A1 - Fischer, David A1 - Bott, Michael A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Siegert, Petra T1 - Biochemical characterization of a novel oxidatively stable, halotolerant, and high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T JF - FEBS Open Bio N2 - Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms represent a promising source of salt-tolerant enzymes suitable for various biotechnological applications where high salt concentrations would otherwise limit enzymatic activity. Considering the current growing enzyme market and the need for more efficient and new biocatalysts, the present study aimed at the characterization of a high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T. The protease gene was cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. The recombinant protease SPAO with 269 amino acids belongs to the subfamily of high-alkaline subtilisins. The biochemical characteristics of purified SPAO were analyzed in comparison with subtilisin Carlsberg, Savinase, and BPN'. SPAO, a monomer with a molecular mass of 27.1 kDa, was active over a wide range of pH 6.0–12.0 and temperature 20–80 °C, optimally at pH 9.0–9.5 and 55 °C. The protease is highly oxidatively stable to hydrogen peroxide and retained 58% of residual activity when incubated at 10 °C with 5% (v/v) H2O2 for 1 h while stimulated at 1% (v/v) H2O2. Furthermore, SPAO was very stable and active at NaCl concentrations up to 5.0 m. This study demonstrates the potential of SPAO for biotechnological applications in the future. KW - Alkalihalobacillus okhensis KW - detergent protease KW - halotolerant protease KW - high-alkaline subtilisin KW - oxidative stable protease Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.13457 SN - 2211-5463 N1 - Corresponding author: Petra Siegert VL - 12 IS - 10 SP - 1729 EP - 1746 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jablonski, Melanie A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Wege, Christina A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Detection of plant virus particles with a capacitive field-effect sensor JF - Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry N2 - Plant viruses are major contributors to crop losses and induce high economic costs worldwide. For reliable, on-site and early detection of plant viral diseases, portable biosensors are of great interest. In this study, a field-effect SiO2-gate electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor was utilized for the label-free electrostatic detection of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as a model plant pathogen. The capacitive EIS sensor has been characterized regarding its TMV sensitivity by means of constant-capacitance method. The EIS sensor was able to detect biotinylated TMV particles from a solution with a TMV concentration as low as 0.025 nM. A good correlation between the registered EIS sensor signal and the density of adsorbed TMV particles assessed from scanning electron microscopy images of the SiO2-gate chip surface was observed. Additionally, the isoelectric point of the biotinylated TMV particles was determined via zeta potential measurements and the influence of ionic strength of the measurement solution on the TMV-modified EIS sensor signal has been studied. KW - Plant virus KW - Capacitive field-effect sensor KW - Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) KW - Label-free detection KW - Zeta potential Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03448-8 SN - 1618-2650 N1 - Corresponding authors: Arshak Poghossian & Michael J. Schöning VL - 413 SP - 5669 EP - 5678 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Welden, Rene A1 - Nagamine Komesu, Cindy A. A1 - Wagner, Patrick H. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Wagner, Torsten T1 - Photoelectrochemical enzymatic penicillin biosensor: A proof-of-concept experiment JF - Electrochemical Science Advances N2 - Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors are a rather novel type of biosensors thatutilizelighttoprovideinformationaboutthecompositionofananalyte,enablinglight-controlled multi-analyte measurements. For enzymatic PEC biosensors,amperometric detection principles are already known in the literature. In con-trast, there is only a little information on H+-ion sensitive PEC biosensors. Inthis work, we demonstrate the detection of H+ions emerged by H+-generatingenzymes, exemplarily demonstrated with penicillinase as a model enzyme on atitanium dioxide photoanode. First, we describe the pH sensitivity of the sensorand study possible photoelectrocatalytic reactions with penicillin. Second, weshow the enzymatic PEC detection of penicillin. KW - enzymatic biosensor KW - penicillin KW - penicillinase KW - photoelectrochemistry KW - titanium dioxide photoanode Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsa.202100131 SN - 2698-5977 N1 - Corresponding auhtor: Michael J. Schöning VL - 2 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oliveira, Danilo A. A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Beging, Stefan A1 - Siqueira Jr, José R. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Biosensor Based on Self-Assembled Films of Graphene Oxide and Polyaniline Using a Field-Effect Device Platform JF - physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science N2 - A new functionalization method to modify capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) structures with nanofilms is presented. Layers of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and graphene oxide (GO) with the compound polyaniline:poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PANI:PAAMPSA) are deposited onto a p-Si/SiO2 chip using the layer-by-layer technique (LbL). Two different enzymes (urease and penicillinase) are separately immobilized on top of a five-bilayer stack of the PAH:GO/PANI:PAAMPSA-modified EIS chip, forming a biosensor for detection of urea and penicillin, respectively. Electrochemical characterization is performed by constant capacitance (ConCap) measurements, and the film morphology is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An increase in the average sensitivity of the modified biosensors (EIS–nanofilm–enzyme) of around 15% is found in relation to sensors, only carrying the enzyme but without the nanofilm (EIS–enzyme). In this sense, the nanofilm acts as a stable bioreceptor onto the EIS chip improving the output signal in terms of sensitivity and stability. KW - capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensors KW - graphene oxide KW - layer-by-layer technique KW - nanomaterials KW - polyaniline Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202000747 SN - 1862-6319 N1 - Corresponding author: José R. Siqueira Jr & Michael J. Schöning VL - 218 IS - 13 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Iken, Heiko A1 - Johnen, Anna Lynn A1 - Richstein, Benjamin A1 - Hellmich, Lena A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Knoch, Joachim A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Miniaturized pH-Sensitive Field-Effect Capacitors with Ultrathin Ta₂O₅ Films Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition JF - physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science N2 - Miniaturized electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor capacitors (EISCAPs) with ultrathin gate insulators have been studied in terms of their pH-sensitive sensor characteristics: three different EISCAP systems consisting of Al–p-Si–Ta2O5(5 nm), Al–p-Si–Si3N4(1 or 2 nm)–Ta2O5 (5 nm), and Al–p-Si–SiO2(3.6 nm)–Ta2O5(5 nm) layer structures are characterized in buffer solution with different pH values by means of capacitance–voltage and constant capacitance method. The SiO2 and Si3N4 gate insulators are deposited by rapid thermal oxidation and rapid thermal nitridation, respectively, whereas the Ta2O5 film is prepared by atomic layer deposition. All EISCAP systems have a clear pH response, favoring the stacked gate insulators SiO2–Ta2O5 when considering the overall sensor characteristics, while the Si3N4(1 nm)–Ta2O5 stack delivers the largest accumulation capacitance (due to the lower equivalent oxide thickness) and a higher steepness in the slope of the capacitance–voltage curve among the studied stacked gate insulator systems. KW - atomic layer deposition KW - capacitive field-effect sensors KW - pH sensors KW - ultrathin gate insulators Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202100660 SN - 1862-6319 VL - 219 IS - 8 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Recent progress in silicon-based biologically sensitive field-effect devices JF - Current Opinion in Electrochemistry N2 - Biologically sensitive field-effect devices (BioFEDs) advantageously combine the electronic field-effect functionality with the (bio)chemical receptor’s recognition ability for (bio)chemical sensing. In this review, basic and widely applied device concepts of silicon-based BioFEDs (ion-sensitive field-effect transistor, silicon nanowire transistor, electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitor, light-addressable potentiometric sensor) are presented and recent progress (from 2019 to early 2021) is discussed. One of the main advantages of BioFEDs is the label-free sensing principle enabling to detect a large variety of biomolecules and bioparticles by their intrinsic charge. The review encompasses applications of BioFEDs for the label-free electrical detection of clinically relevant protein biomarkers, deoxyribonucleic acid molecules and viruses, enzyme-substrate reactions as well as recording of the cell acidification rate (as an indicator of cellular metabolism) and the extracellular potential. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2021.100811 SN - 2451-9103 IS - Article number: 100811 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wert, Stefan A1 - Iken, Heiko A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Development of a temperature‐pulse enhanced electrochemical glucose biosensor and characterization of its stability via scanning electrochemical microscopy JF - Electroanalysis N2 - Glucose oxidase (GOx) is an enzyme frequently used in glucose biosensors. As increased temperatures can enhance the performance of electrochemical sensors, we investigated the impact of temperature pulses on GOx that was drop-coated on flattened Pt microwires. The wires were heated by an alternating current. The sensitivity towards glucose and the temperature stability of GOx was investigated by amperometry. An up to 22-fold increase of sensitivity was observed. Spatially resolved enzyme activity changes were investigated via scanning electrochemical microscopy. The application of short (<100 ms) heat pulses was associated with less thermal inactivation of the immobilized GOx than long-term heating. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elan.202100089 SN - 1521-4109 IS - Early View PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Drinic, Aleksander A1 - Iken, Heiko A1 - Kröger, Nadja A1 - Zinser, Max A1 - Smeets, Ralf A1 - Köpf, Marius A1 - Kopp, Alexander A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Towards a flexible electrochemical biosensor fabricated from biocompatible Bombyx mori silk JF - Biosensors and Bioelectronics Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2021.113204 SN - 0956-5663 VL - 183 IS - Art. 113204 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jildeh, Zaid B. A1 - Wagner, Patrick H. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Sterilization of Objects, Products, and Packaging Surfaces and Their Characterization in Different Fields of Industry: The Status in 2020 JF - physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science N2 - The treatment method to deactivate viable microorganisms from objects or products is termed sterilization. There are multiple forms of sterilization, each intended to be applied for a specific target, which depends on—but not limited to—the thermal, physical, and chemical stability of that target. Herein, an overview on the currently used sterilization processes in the global market is provided. Different sterilization techniques are grouped under a category that describes the method of treatment: radiation (gamma, electron beam, X-ray, and ultraviolet), thermal (dry and moist heat), and chemical (ethylene oxide, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and hydrogen peroxide). For each sterilization process, the typical process parameters as defined by regulations and the mode of antimicrobial activity are summarized. Finally, the recommended microorganisms that are used as biological indicators to validate sterilization processes in accordance with the rules that are established by various regulatory agencies are summarized. KW - bioburdens KW - sterility tests KW - sterilization efficacy KW - sterilization methods KW - validation methods Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202000732 SN - 1862-6319 N1 - Corresponding author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 218 IS - 13 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -