Jul 30 2007
Concentris GmbH, leading provider of cantilever sensor instruments and tools for research applications, releases the first measurement and training kits for nanomechanical cantilever sensors. These kits include all chemicals, consumables and protocols necessary to functionalize cantilever arrays and do out-of-the box cantilever sensor measurements.
Nanomechanical cantilever sensors are highly sensitive, label-free chemical and biosensors. Nanomechanical canti-levers are micro fabricated silicon beams, which transform chemical interactions at their surface into a mechanical motion. Thanks to their extremely low thickness of 1 micrometer or less, surface processes can be monitored with high sensitivity and in real-time. By selecting a chemical coating (functionalization), cantilever sensors are tuned to address a wide range of applications, including the detection of ions, the study of DNA hybridization and (bio)molecular interactions or the analysis of layer formation dynamics and conformational changes.
With Concentris’ Cantisens Research cantilever sensor platform, a state-of-the-art instrument to read-out cantilever sensor arrays with up to eight cantilevers in real-time is available and gives users in many different areas of research access to this emerging technology. Now, for the first time, measurement and training kits for cantilever sensors are also available. They complement the instruments, tools and consumables available so far with sets of chemicals and protocols necessary to functionalize cantilever sensors and to do measurements.
“The first kits we have developed are available for the detection of two specific DNA sequences through hybridiza-tion measurements and for the detection of calcium ions with cantilever sensors. Concise step-by-step instructions make sure that experiments are both straightforward and instructive”, explains Joachim Köser, PhD, director of Concentris’ application development.
Martin Bammerlin, PhD, head of sales and support at Concentris, comments, “The new kits present a significant advance for all researchers entering into the field of cantilever sensors. They enable them to start working with this emerging technology based on thoroughly described functionalization protocols and measurement procedures. Researchers can use the kits as a starting point for designing new experiments. Obtaining new results will be possible in a much shorter period of time.”