Development of a BioChip System with Multiplexing Capability for Detection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Mutations Based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Human genome is exposed to several types of genetic abnormalities including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are the most common polymorphisms throughout the human genome. Because SNPs are abundant and stable, they are widely used in diagnostics of several diseases like familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), Parkinson, and Alzheimer. Identification of SNPs provides opportunities in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of related diseases. Current methods that are used to detect SNPs are time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, there is a need to improve the speed and reduce the cost. This can only be achieved with a technique capable of multiplexing. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a vibrational spectroscopic technique, which provides specific information about a molecule's structure due to its "fingerprinting property". The multiplexing property and high sensitivity of SERS is used to reduce the number of spots on the array chip. Considering great number of SNPs present on the human genome, achievement of the multiplex SNP detection will cut the cost and time spent for the screening SNPs. The development of an assay for the detection of SNP mutations has been attempted based on SERS in this study. To test the feasibility of approach, M694V SNP on 10 th exon of MEFV gene is investigated as a model. The promising results indicate that it is possible to detect SNPs using this assay.