Sensor with immunochemical membrane chemically bound to a semiconductor device

Abstract: A sensor and its methods of preparation are described, the sensor containing an immunochemical membrane and an EOS or CHEMFET device containing on its surface silicon oxide adhering to said membrane by means of a polysiloxane matrix, characterised in that the immunochemical membrane is formed from a polymeric multilayer consisting of an antibody or protein A, said antibody or protein A being polymerized together with support biopolymers and said immunochemical membrane being chemically bound to the polysiloxane matrix by bifunctional coupling agents, the polysiloxane matrix being chosen from functional organosilanes of general formula: where R II , R III , R IV , which can be identical or different, are alkyl or alkoxy groups containing between 1 and 10 carbon atoms; R = (CH₂) m X (CH₂) n where X is CH₂ or a mono or polycondensed aromatic group or NH or O, and m and n, which can be equal or different, are whole numbers between 0 and 10, but not 0 if X is NH or O; Y is -NH₂ or -OH or -SH; or from functional organosilanes of general formula: where R₁, R₂, which can be identical or different, are Cl, Br, CH₃, NO₂, NH₂ or H; R II , R III , R IV , which can be identical or different, are alkyl or alkoxy groups containing between 1 and 10 carbon atoms; R I can be an alkyl, aminoalkyl, aminoalkylaryl or alkylaryl group containing between 1 and 10 carbon atoms.

Description: This invention relates to an antigen sensor responsive to an antigen to which an antibody is specific, said sensor containing an immunochemical membrane, the process for preparing said sensor and the process for practically using it. In clinical diagnoses, the blood level of metabolytes, hormones, or proteins is currently determined by a number of methods, among which immunofluorescent (FIE, and the like), immunoradiometric (RIA,IRMA and the like) or immunoenzymatic methods (ELISA and the like) can be mentioned. Recently, attention has been directed to the provision of immunosensors using transducers in the form of solid-state devices such as FETs which are capable of sensing extremely small charges which may be present at the transducers's gate. The advantages of such devices are the possibility of miniaturizing them, low costs and prompt responses, along with their extremely high sensitivity, capable of giving 10 mV signals for analyte concentrations as low as from 10⁻⁷ M to 10⁻¹¹ M. Reference can be had to J.Janata and G.F.Blackburn, "Annals N.Y.Acad. of Sciences", 428, 286 (1984). Devices have been proposed, in which the antibody is absorbed on the FET gate and the linkage of the antigen to be tested produces an electric charge variation to be recorded by a tranducer: refernce can be had to M.Aizawa, S.Kato and S.Suzuki, J.Membr.Sc., 2, 125 (1977), and to J.Janata and R.J.Huber, "Ion-sensitive Electrodes in Analytical Chemistry" (1980), Freiser,H., editor, 2, 107-174, Plenum Press. The defect of the immunochemical membranes used in such devices is that they are unstable and prone to interference from chemical species foreign to the antigens to be tested. Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol.10, N°119 (P-453) |2176|, 06.MAY.1986, and JP-A-60 247 151 (Fujitsu K.K.) 06-12-1985, disclose another approach in which the antibody concerned is bound directly to a polysiloxane layer. It has been ascertained by the present applicants that to use protein A, a protein extracted from the cell walls of S.aureus in forming the immunochemical membranes of devices of the kind referred to above affords a number of advantages because protein A is capable of binding an antibody region which is not involved in the link with the antigen, so that a universal immunosensor can be obtained, whose specificity towards the antigen to be tested can be achieved at any time by using the antibody specific therefor and leaving the protein A-containing membrane unaltered. It has also been found that the interference problems referred to above can be obviated by labeling the antibody to be tested, or an antibody directed against said antigen, with an enzyme such as glucose-oxidase or urease, which during the catalyzed reaction produces electric charges to be measured by the transducer (EOS or CHEMFET). The invention, therefore, provides an antigen-sensor containing an immunochemical membrane and an EOS or a CHEMFET device carrying on its surface silicon oxide adhered to said membrane by means of a polysiloxane matrix, which is characterized in that the immunochemical membrane consists of a layer of protein A polymerized with a supporting biopolymer, whereby an antibody directed against the antigen to be determined is adhered to the protein A by incubating the sensor at room temperature in the presence of the antibody concerned, said layer being chemically bonded to the polysiloxane matrix by the agency of bifunctional coupling agents, said polysiloxane matrix being selected from the functional organosilanes having either the general formula: wherein: R II , R III and R IV , equal to, or different from each other, are C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy groups; R is (CH₂) m - X -(CH₂) n , in which -X- is -CH₂, or a mono- or a polycondensed aromatic group, or -NH, or -O-, and m and n , which can be equal to, or different from one another, are integers from 0 to 10, with the proviso that zero is excluded is -X- is -NH or -O-, and y is -NH₂, or -OH, or -SH, or the general formula: wherein R₁ and R₂, which are equal to, or different from one another, are selected from-Cl, -Br, -CH₃, -NO₂, -NH₂ and -H; R II , R III and R IV are as hereinabove defined, and R I is selected from C₁-C₁₀ alkyls, aminoalkyls, aminoalkylaryls and alkaryls. For example, the polysiloxane matrices which can be used are aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS) or anthranylamidepropyltriethoxysilane. Besides containing silicon oxide on its surface, the EOS device must contain in the part below the silicon oxide a layer of aluminium or gold deposited by evaporation. If a functional organosilane of formula (2) is used, its preparation involves the reaction of isatoic acid anhydride, or a derivative thereof, with aminosilanes of the type: according to the reaction pattern: The silanes preferred in practice for preparing the functional organosilane in accordance with the objects of the present invention are: 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane H₂N-(CH₂)₃-Si-(OC₂H₅)₃ aminomethyltriethoxysilane H₂N-CH₂-Si-(OC₂H₅)₃ 2-aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane H₂N-(CH₂)₂-NH-(CH₂)₃-Si-(OCH₃)₃ 2-aminoethylaminopropyltriethoxysilane H₂N-(CH₂)₂-NH-(CH₂)₃-Si-(OC₂H₅)₃ 2-aminoethylaminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane The synthesis reaction is effected by gradually adding the isatoic anhydride to the aminosilane in the presence or absence of solvent. If the reaction is effected in a solvent, this must obviously not react with isatoic anhydride. In the case of hydroxyl solvents mild reaction conditions must for example be used, with no catalyst present. Alcohols, esters, chlorinated solvents etc. can be used as solvent. No water must be present, as this would obviously hydrolyze the alkoxy groups. The reaction can also be effected by adding the isatoic anhydride altogether rather than gradually, by virtue of the slight exothermicity of the reaction (it m ust then be cooled), and the fact that in spite of the considerable difference in reactivity between the aliphatic amine (aminosilane) and the aromatic amine (reaction product) a minimum quantity of oligomer products could form, of type: Enzyme types which produce electrical charges during the catalyzed reaction can be introduced into said device. The supporting biopolymers can be proteins (such as albumin), biopolymers with functional groups (such as polylysine) the protein A being polymerized together with the supporting biopolymers, and an antibody directed against the antigen to be sensed is adhered to the immunochemical membrane Particularly, the present invention thus also provides a process for forming a sensor as claimed in Claim 1, comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a siloxane prepolymer and depositing it on an EOS or CHEMFET device using a rotary-disc apparatus; (b) thermally curing at a temperature of from 80°C to 140°C the prepolymer exiting step (a) to completely polymerize it by hydrolyzing the silane alkoxy groups; (c) chemically adhering the polysiloxane matrix thus obtained to the silicon oxide surface layer of said EOS or CHEMFET device by reacting other alkoxy groups with Si-OH groups present on said surface; (d) activating the aliphatic amino groups present on the polysiloxane layer with a bifunctional coupling agent; (e) separately, partially polymerizing protein A with a support biopolymer using bifunctional coupling agents to obtain an immunochemical prepolymer; (f) adhering said prepolymer to said polysiloxane layer by reaction with said activated amino groups, and (g) adhering an antibody specific to the antigen to be sensed by incubating the sensor at room temperature for a time of from half-hour to 1,5 hours. The thermal curing (80-140°C) of the silane prepolymer is followed by an immunochemical immobilization treatment at 25°C-37°C. The siloxane prepolymer has a thickness of from 0,5 µm to 3 µm, and the finished immunochemical membrane is from 0,5 µm to 2µm thick. The rotary disc apparatus must operate preferably at a speed of between 400 and 4500 rpm. The concentration of the antibody in the adhering step is from 0,5 mg/l to 1,5 mg/l and the pH of the buffer solution is of from 6,5 to 7,5. An adhered antibody can be removed and, if so desired, replaced by another antibody, by the agency of an acidic buffer solution, having a pH of from 1,5 to 2,5 for a time of from half-hour to 1,5 hours, at the ambient temperature. According to another aspect, the invention provides a process for determining, by the antigen-sensor as hereinbefore defined, the concentration of an antigen in a solution containing it, comprising the steps of: (1) labeling the antigen to be detected with an enzyme to form an antigen-enzyme conjugate competing, for the binding sites of the antibody immobilized on the device, with the antigen to be tested, thus producing electric charges detected by the sensor during the catalyzed reactions, and (2) measuring the electric charges generated in step (1) by an electronic MOS or MOSFET transducer. The labeling of the antigen with an enzyme such as glucose-oxidase or urease is made to determine the concentration of the antigen as the antigen-enzyme conjugate competes with the antigen. The result is the generation of electric charges to be measured by the transducer concerned, and the electric response of the enzyme in the presence of its substrate determines the amount of labeled antigen adhered to the immunochemical membrane, and is inversely proportional to the amount of antigen to be tested as present in the solution. According to another aspect, the invention provides an alternative process for determining, by the antigen-sensor as hereinbefore defined, the concentration of an antigen in a solution containing it, comprising the steps of: (1) adding to the solution an antibody directed to the antigen concerned, said antibody having been labeled with an enzyme which, in the presence of its substrate, produces electric charges detected by the sensor during the catalyzed reaction, and (2) measuring the electric charges generated in step (1) by an electronic MOS or MOSFET transducer. Once that the antigen has been bound to the antibody immobilized on the device, the enzyme-labeled antiboby is introduced and, in this case, the amount of the antigen to be tested is directly proportional to the amount of labeled antibody bound to the antigen, and the electric response of the enzyme as metered by the transducer determines the antigen concentration sought for. The metering procedures aforementioned are less interference-prone relative to substances foreign to the antigen to be tested, such as ions or proteins which may be present in the tested samples, since the measurements are taken in terms of electric response of the labeling enzyme. The ensuing examples are illustrative of the invention. EXAMPLE 1 An immunosensor was prepared, comprising an immunochemical membrane containing the protein A chemically bound to a polysiloxane matrix. A solution of a polysiloxane, which had partially been hydrolyzed in a hydroalcoholic environment was deposited on 1 cm x 1 cm bars of an EOS device, said solution consisting of: 21% of amino-ethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS); 3% of acetic acid; 1% of H₂O, in absolute ethanol. Three depositions were made by means of a rotary disc apparatus rotated at 3500 rpm for 20 s. The excess oligomer solution deposited on the EOS device was removed by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the supporting plate. After thermal curing for 16 h at 120°C, the bars were cooled and placed in a weighing bottle in a 0,02 M, pH 7, phosphate buffer solution containing 1% of glutaraldehyde, the bottle containing the bars being then placed onto an oscillating plate for 1,5 h at the ambient temperature. Thereafter, the bars were washed with the phosphate buffer and distilled water. Separately, to achieve a partial polymerization with the biopolymer, 1 mg of protein A was reacted with 4 mg of polylisine in 2 ml of of 0,02 M of a pH 7 phosphate buffer for 30 min at the ambient temperature in the presence of 0,5% of glutaraldehyde, whereafter the anti-human IgG antibody was added to the immunochemical device, by incubating the sensor in the presence of said antibody, at an antibody concentration of 1mg/ml in a 0,02 M, pH 7 phosphate buffer for 1 hour at the ambient temperature, whereafter a washing with the same buffer was carried out. EXAMPLE 2 This example demonstrates the method for determining the concentration of the human IgG (HIgG) antigen by tagging the antigen with the enzyme glucose-oxidase (GOD). Preparation of human IgG (HIgG)/glucose-oxidase (GOD) conjugates: 10 mg of HIgG are reacted with 30 mg of GOD in 2 ml of 0.02 M pH 7 phosphate buffer while stirring at ambient temperature in the presence of 0.2% glutaraldehyde. The conjugate is then passed through a protein A/sepharose column, and washed repeatedly with 0.02 M pH 7 phosphate buffer until eluate 280 nm absorption becomes negligible. The conjugate bound to the column is then eluted with 0.1 M pH 2.2 glycine-HCl buffer and dialyzed against 0.02 M pH 7 phosphate buffer. The conjugate GOD absorption at 280 nm is calculated, it being 10 times greater than that measured at 450 nm, a region in which there is no appreciable absorption of human immunoglobulins (HIgG). The HIgG absorption is then obtained as the difference between the total conjugate absorption and the GOD absorption. The final molar ratio of enzyme (GOD) to HIgG varies between about 1:1 and 2:1. Figure 1 shows the absorption spectra (A = absorbance) of an HIgG-GOD conjugate (line A) and of a GOD solution (line b) having the same absorption as the conjugate at 450 nm. Figure 2 shows the enzymatic activity with time (in days = d) expressed as µg of substrate transformed per minute per cm² of HIgG-GOD conjugates for a series of 6 samples. The samples are incubated in 1 ml of a solution containing 0.5 mg/ml of the HIgG-GOD conjugate in 0.02 M pH 7 phosphate buffer for 2 hours at 25°C. The samples are washed and the enzymatic activity of the conjugate GOD is measured by measuring the reduction in substrate (glucose) with the commercial Boehringer kit. As can be seen from Figure 2, the biological functionality of the immunochemical membrane immobilized on EOS devices preserved in pH 7 phosphate buffer remains constant for at least one month. Figure 3 shows the tests on the reversibility of the bond between protein A and the antibody, as the average of a series of different samples, using the described HIgG-GOD conjugates. The EOS devices, on which the immunochemical membrane containing protein A is present, are incubated with the HIgG-GOD conjugates and their enzymatic activity, represented by a black square, is measured as already described. Separation of the conjugate from the protein A is effected by means of a glycine-0.1 M pH 2.2 HCl buffer and is verified by measuring the enzymatic activity, represented by a white square. As can be seen from the figure, good separation of the HIgG-GOD conjugate and restoration of the bond with the protein A is indicated (the vertical axis represents enzymatic activity in µg/min/cm² and the horizontal axis represents the number of tests carried out on the same sample). Capacitance/voltage curves are generally used in semiconductor technology to study the silicon oxide characteristics during the construction of field effect transistors (FET). Figure 4 shows curves of capacitance in nF against voltage in V at 15 Hz of an EOS device on which an immunochemical membrane has been immobilised consisting of protein A polymerized together with bovine albumin (BSA) to which the HIgG-GOD conjugate prepared in the aforegoing manner has been added. When the HIgG-GOD conjugate has been bound to the immunochemical membrane of the EOS device the activity of the enzyme (GOD) produces electrical charges on the surface of the device (gluconic acid in the case of glucose-oxidase) which determine displacement of the capacitance minimum. As can be seen in the figure (line a), after adding the substrate (glucose) there is displacement (line b) of the capacitance minimum by about 60 mv, which indicates the electrical response of the conjugate bound to the immunochemical membrane and thus the possibility of implementing the system of measurement as heretofore described.

Claims: An antigen-sensor containing an immunochemical membrane and an EOS or a CHEMFET device carrying on its surface silicon oxide adhered to said membrane by means of a polysiloxane matrix, characterized in that the immunochemical membrane consists of a layer of protein A polymerized with a supporting biopolymer, whereby an antibody directed against the antigen to be determined is adhered to the protein A by incubating the sensor at room temperature in the presence of the antibody concerned, said layer being chemically bonded to the polysiloxane matrix by the agency of bifunctional coupling agents, said polysiloxane matrix being selected from the functional organosilanes having either the general formula: wherein: R II , R III and R IV , equal to, or different from each other, are C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy groups; R is (CH₂) m - X -(CH₂) n , in which -X- is -CH₂, or a mono- or a polycondensed aromatic group, or -NH, or -O-, and m and n , which can be equal to, or different from one another, are integers from 0 to 10, with the proviso that zero is excluded is -X- is -NH or -O-, and y is -NH₂, or -OH, or -SH, or the general formula: wherein R₁ and R₂, which are equal to, or different from one another, are selected from-Cl, -Br, -CH₃, -NO₂, -NH₂ and -H; R II , R III and R IV are as hereinabove defined, and R I is selected from C₁-C₁₀ alkyls, aminoalkyls, aminoalkylaryls and alkaryls. A process for forming a sensor as claimed in Claim 1, comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a siloxane prepolymer and depositing it on an EOS or CHEMFET device using a rotary-disc apparatus; (b) thermally curing at a temperature of from 80°C to 140°C the prepolymer exiting step (a) to completely polymerize it by hydrolyzing the silane alkoxy groups; (c) chemically adhering the polysiloxane matrix thus obtained to the silicon oxide surface layer of said EOS or CHEMFET device by reacting other alkoxy groups with Si-OH groups present on said surface; (d) activating the aliphatic amino groups present on the polysiloxane layer with a bifunctional coupling agent; (e) separately, partially polymerizing protein A with a support biopolymer using bifunctional coupling agents to obtain an immunochemical prepolymer; (f) adhering said prepolymer to said polysiloxane layer by reaction with said activated amino groups, and (g) adhering an antibody specific to the antigen to be sensed by incubating the sensor at room temperature for a time of from half-hour to 1,5 hours. Process according to Claim 2, wherein the thickness of the siloxane prepolymer exiting step (a) is of from 0,5 µm to 3 µm. Process according to Claim 2, wherein the rotation speed of the rotary disc in step (a) is from 400 rpm to 4.500 rpm. Process according to Claim 2, wherein the bifunctional coupling agent used in steps (d) and (e) is selected from the aldehydes and the diisocyanates. Process according to Claims 2 and 5, wherein the bifunctional coupling agent is glutaraldehyde. Process according to Claims 2 and 5, wherein the bifunctional coupling agent is toluene-2,4-diisocyanate. Process according to Claim 2, wherein the supporting biopolymer is polylisine. Process according to Claim 2, wherein the concentration of the antibody in step (f) is from 0,5 to 1,0 mg/ml in a buffer solution having a pH of from 6,5 to 7,5. Process for determining, by the antigen-sensor as defined in Claim 1, the concentration of an antigen in a solution containing it, comprising the steps of: (1) labeling the antigen to be detected with an enzyme to form an antigen-enzyme conjugate competing, for the binding sites of the antibody immobilized on the device, with the antigen to be tested, thus producing electric charges detected by the sensor during the catalyzed reaction, and (2) measuring the electric charges generated in step (1) by an electronic MOS or MOSFET transducer. Process for determining, by the antigen-sensor as defined in Claim 1, the concentration of an antigen in a solution containing it, comprising the steps of: (1) adding to the solution an antibody directed to the antigen concerned, said antibody having been labeled with an enzyme which, in the presence of its substrate, produces electric charges detected by the sensor during the catalyzed reaction, and (2) measuring the electric charges generated in step (1) by an electronic MOS or MOSFET transducer. Process according to Claim 10, or Claim 11, wherein the labeling enzyme is selected from glucose-oxidase and urease.

Inventors: BARONCELLI VITTORIO, COLAPICCHIONI CLAUDIO, GIANNINI IVO, PORCELLI FILIPPO, BARONCELLI, VITTORIO, COLAPICCHIONI, CLAUDIO, GIANNINI, IVO, PORCELLI, FILIPPO
Applicants: ENIRICERCHE SPA, ENIRICERCHE S.P.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01N27
IPC codes: G01N27