Nanomagnetic particles for SQUID-based magnetically labeled immunoassay

With the increasing importance of SQUID-based magnetically labeled immunoassay, the study on the synthesis of controllable sizes of magnetic nanoparticles plays a role to promote the accuracy of the immunoassay. In this work, Fe/sub 3/O/sub 4/ nano-particles coated with a suitable bio-probe (biotin) are synthesized through chemical co-precipitation process to probe the bio-target (avidin). Through the synthesis developed here, the particle hydrodynamic diameter can be adjusted from 30 to 90 nm, which provide candidates for probing various bio-targets in the future. The amount of the magnetically labeled avidin is then analyzed via measuring the saturated magnetization or the remanence of the sample by using a SQUID magnetometer.