# Affinity-Based Copolymer Coating for Oriented Protein Immobilization in Biosensor Development

## TL;DR

A new polymer coating improves protein immobilization for biosensors by using metal-chelating interactions, offering better stability and functionality.

## Contribution

The novelty is incorporating NTA ligands into polymeric chains for oriented histidine-tagged protein binding.

## Key findings

- Magnetic microbeads with the polymer showed superior binding and stability compared to traditional coatings.
- The polymer preserves enzymatic activity, making it suitable for functional biosensor applications.

## Abstract

Effective protein immobilization is a critical step in biosensor development, as it ensures the stability, functionality, and orientation of biomolecules on the sensor surface. Here, we present a novel affinity-based terpolymer coating designed to enhance protein immobilization for biosensor applications. The novelty lies in the incorporation of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) ligands directly into the polymeric chains, facilitating histidine-tagged protein oriented binding through a robust metal-chelating interaction. To validate the system, magnetic microbeads coated with the polymer were tested for their ability to bind native and His-tagged proteins. The results demonstrated the superior binding capacity, enhanced stability, and reversibility of the interactions compared to traditional coatings, which immobilize proteins through nucleophile reactions with amine residues. Moreover, enzyme immobilization tests confirmed that the polymer preserves enzymatic activity, highlighting its potential for biosensor applications requiring functional biomolecules. This innovative polymeric coating offers a fast, versatile, and scalable solution for next-generation biosensor platforms, paving the way for improved sensitivity, reliability, and accessibility in diagnostic and analytical technologies.