PolyAn's new hydrophobic PMMA beads are stable in organic solvents such as methanol, acetone, and even chloroform (up to 50% v/v). The hydrophobic bead surface allows to immobilize amphiphilic biomolecules such as phospholipids, lipopolysaccharides, lipoproteins, or even membrane-based receptors after cell lysis. These biomolecules play a key role in many biological processes, and can potentially be used as future biomarkers for the diagnosis of e.g. autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, or cancer.

Hydrophobic beads from PolyAn are a promising platform for the detection of such biomarkers, as they allow a directed (oriented) immobilization of amphiphilic biomolecules from organic solvents. Due to the hydrophobic bead surface, the lipophilic tails of the biomolecules are oriented towards the bead, while their hydrophilic heads are directed towards the outside. This directional immobilization is mandatorty to allow for the subsequent binding of detector molecules (e.g. antibodies) to the hydrophilic part, that typically act as binding sites within bioassays.

Contact

Fridtjof Lechhart,
COO/CFO PolyAn GmbH

PolyAn GmbH
Schkopauer Ring 6
12681 Berlin

Tel:  +49 (0)30 912 078 0
Fax: +49 (0)30 912 078 11
Email: mail@poly-an.de

About PolyAn

PolyAn is a nanotechnology company specialized in Molecular Surface Engineering. Since 1996 PolyAn develops and manufactures consumables for multiplex diagnostic and LifeScience research. This includes a wide range of fluorescence encoded PMMA micro- and nanoparticles (beads) for multiplex bead assays and flow cytometry. PolyAn also offers functionalized plates for immunoassays (e.g. ELISA), calibration tools for fluorescence imaging systems, as well as the broadest portfolio of microarray consumables (slides, coverslips, plates) on the market.