We were unable to thoroughly pursue microfluidics or the automation portion of this project due to time constraints. However, a simpler preliminary ELISA assay can similarly work to do some preliminary testing of the binding affinities of the nanobodies to the targets, as well as determine the ideal temperatures, buffer components, number of washes, etc. that can be used in the automated platform.
After sequential washes, only the tightest binding nanobodies will remain. The Kd value is quantified by measuring the fluorescence of the bound nanobodies and varying the concentrations of proteins in the inlet to produce a plot relating the two variables. A sample plot is shown above.
Oxford nanopore sequencing (ONT) is employed to reveal the protein sequence of nanbodies with high affnity to targets. This method utilizes electric current to move through nanopores. Changes in the resistance and thus voltage correspond to specific, identifiable base pairs that allows for sequencing.
Credit: Sophia Han and Chi Zhang