Patent ID: 7524630

Claim:
A functionalized magnetic nanoparticle comprising a metal core and a silica surface, the silica surface being conjugated with at least one functional group comprising an oligonucleotide in the form of a molecular beacon, wherein the sequence of said oligonucleotide comprises a single-stranded loop structure comprising a nucleic acid sequence of interest, and a stem-forming arm structure on either side of the sequence of interest, the two stem-forming arm structures comprising bases complementary to one another that form a stem when hybridized with one another, said oligonucleotide further comprising a fluorophore attached at one end of said sequence, and a quencher attached at the other end of said sequence, wherein fluorescence emission of the fluorphore is inhibited by the quencher when the stem-forming structures are hybridized to one another in the absence of a complement of the nucleic acid sequence of interest.