Quartz Crystal Microbalance
Analysis of DNA-Templated
Calcium Phosphate Mineralization
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Abstract
A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor was developed
for the
quantitation of calcium phosphate mineralization and the assessment
of DNA as a template molecule. Inherent advantages of QCM, such as
nanogram sensitivity, temporal resolution, surface-based measurements,
and flow capabilities, were leveraged in the design of this sensor,
and in-line fluidic mixing was used to control precursor reaction.
This research shows that DNA, a highly programmable anionic polymer,
is able to template and control mineralization of calcium phosphate,
with nucleation occurring in less than 15 min and initial rates ranging
from 4 to 8 ng/min. FT-IR measurements show mineralized material to
be calcium phosphate resembling hydroxyapatite (HAP) when a DNA template
is used. DNA is a promising mineralization template, and the QCM proves
to be a dynamic technique for a broad range of heterogeneous mineralization
experiments in complement to classic, diffusion-limited, end-point
analysis techniques