Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.

Dissertations that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.

Author ORCID Identifier

N/A

AccessType

Open Access Dissertation

Document Type

dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Program

Chemistry

Year Degree Awarded

2014

Month Degree Awarded

February

First Advisor

Vincent M. Rotello

Subject Categories

Other Chemistry

Abstract

Rapid and sensitive detection and identification of bacteria woud control and prevent bacterial infection and disease, enhancing the likelihood of early diagnosis and treatment. Especially developing effective biosensor for identification of bacteria species involved in formation of biofilms, which cause chronic and persistent diseases, would promote diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency. Conventional detection methods are limited by sensitivity and required time. First part of my research has been focused on developing a rapid, simple, and sensitive biosensor aiming at portable device application for detection of bacteria in water samples. This sensor is able to detect bacteria at low concentration and generate colorimetric readouts that can be interpreted without aid of instrumentation. A prototype inkjet printed test strip is fabricated to demonstrate the low-cost and sensitive bacteria detecting approach. For detection and identification of the higher and more complex state of bacterial life, biofilms, I developed a multi-channel biosensor to profile biofilms based on their global signature patterns. With the emergence of antibiotic especially multi-drug resistance in bacteria, prevention and detection is no longer efficient, and novel strategies are in great demand for treatment of these multi-drug resistant bacteria as well as bacterial biofilms which possess intrinsic antibiotic resistance. Thus the second part of my research is focused on exploring and tuning nanoparticles antimicrobial properties for treatment of bacteria and biofilms.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/5749843.0

Share

COinS