High Throughput Evolution of DNA-Assembled Carbon Nanotubes for Neurochemical Optical Nanosensors

Release and reuptake of neuromodulator is central to mood regulation and neuropsychiatric disorders, whereby imaging neurochemicals is of fundamental importance to study the neurochemistry signaling system. Recently, I presented a reversible near-infrared optical probe for serotonin that reports physiologically-relevant serotonin concentrations on relevant spatiotemporal scales, and is compatible with pharmacological tests. Synthetic molecular recognition for serotonin was conferred by evolving molecular recognition between single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). To do so, we developed a high-throughput screening platform for evolution of serotonin molecular selectivity, in which systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment is implemented on carbon nanotube surfaces, a process we’ve termed SELEC. Following the first SELEC result, I will represent the data analysis of DNA sequence library acquired from serotonin SELEC screening, which will shed the light for data-driven discovery of novel optical neurosensory. Our results suggest evolution of nanosensors could be generically implemented to rapidly develop other neuromodulator probes, and that these probes can image neuromodulator dynamics at spatiotemporal scales compatible with endogenous neuromodulation.