DEVELOPMENT OF MAGNETO-PLASMONIC NANOSENSORS FOR THE ULTRASENSITIVE DETECTION OF FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS

The major goal of this project is to develop new multimodal nanosensor for the effective detection ofE. coli O157:H7, one of the leading causes of foodborne illness often results from consuming contaminated food. To meet this goal, this proposal introduces novel magneto-plasmonic nanosensors (MPnS) with integrated magnetic relaxation (T2 MR), plasmonic (SPR), colorimetric and enzymatic properties. All these unique properties in a single nanosensor platform makes it attractive for food-based pathogen sensing applications. In the present work, seed funding is requested for the development of this nanotechnology for the specific detection of E. coli O157:H7. In the MPnS design, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) encapsulating iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) will be formulated in one-step. E. coli O157:H7 has been selected as a model food-borne pathogen since it is infectious at low concentrations. The peroxidase-like activity of GNPs and IONPs will be compared with that of MPnS for the evaluation of possible synergistic catalytic activity.