Single-molecule detection on a portable 3D-printed microscope

James W. P. Brown, Arnaud Bauer, Mark E Polinkovsky, Akshay Bhumkar, Dominic J. B. Hunter, Katharina Gaus, Emma Sierecki () and Yann Gambin ()
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James W. P. Brown: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Arnaud Bauer: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Mark E Polinkovsky: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Akshay Bhumkar: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Dominic J. B. Hunter: The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland
Katharina Gaus: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Emma Sierecki: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales
Yann Gambin: EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Single-molecule assays have, by definition, the ultimate sensitivity and represent the next frontier in biological analysis and diagnostics. However, many of these powerful technologies require dedicated laboratories and trained personnel and have therefore remained research tools for specialists. Here, we present a single-molecule confocal system built from a 3D-printed scaffold, resulting in a compact, plug and play device called the AttoBright. This device performs single photon counting and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) in a simple format and is widely applicable to the detection of single fluorophores, proteins, liposomes or bacteria. The power of single-molecule detection is demonstrated by detecting single α-synuclein amyloid fibrils, that are currently evaluated as biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease, with an improved sensitivity of >100,000-fold over bulk measurements.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13617-0

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