We report direct, real-time electrical detection of single virus particles with high selectivity by using nanowire field effect transistors. Measurements made with nanowire arrays modified with antibodies for influenza A showed discrete conductance changes characteristic of binding and unbinding in the presence of influenza A but not paramyxovirus or adenovirus. Simultaneous electrical and optical measurements using fluorescently labeled influenza A were used to demonstrate conclusively that the conductance changes correspond to binding/unbinding of single viruses at the surface of nanowire devices. pH-dependent studies further show that the detection mechanism is caused by a field effect, and that the nanowire devices can be used to determine rapidly isoelectric points and variations in receptor-virus binding kinetics for different conditions. Lastly, studies of nanowire devices modified with antibodies specific for either influenza or adenovirus show that multiple viruses can be selectively detected in parallel. The possibility of large-scale integration of these nanowire devices suggests potential for simultaneous detection of a large number of distinct viral threats at the single virus level.

We report electrical properties of hybrid structures consisting of arrays of nanowire field-effect transistors integrated with the individual axons and dendrites of live mammalian neurons, where each nanoscale junction can be used for spatially resolved, highly sensitive detection, stimulation, and/or inhibition of neuronal signal propagation. Arrays of nanowire-neuron junctions enable simultaneous measurement of the rate, amplitude, and shape of signals propagating along individual axons and dendrites. The configuration of nanowire-axon junctions in arrays, as both inputs and outputs, makes possible controlled studies of partial to complete inhibition of signal propagation by both local electrical and chemical stimuli. In addition, nanowire-axon junction arrays were integrated and tested at a level of at least 50 “artificial synapses” per neuron.

Nanoprobes of Cell Potential: Direct electrical measurements of cell potentials usually face design compromises. Microelectrodes probe within the cytosol of cells but have a minimum size (hundreds of nanometers in width) for obtaining useful signals. Nanoscale field effect transistors (FETs) can have an active probe size of only tens of nanometers but generally allow only the outer cell potential to be measured. Tian et al. (p. 830 ) fabricated nanowires in which kinks could be introduced to create a sharp probe tip pointing away from the fabrication substrate. Coating the tip with a phospholipid bilayer allowed the probe to be inserted through the membranes of beating cardiac cells, where it could be used to follow temporal changes in cell potential.