Monolithic bioreactor immobilizing trypsin for high-throughput analysis

A miniaturized trypsin reactor was prepared by coating a trypsin-containing gel on a porous silica monolith. The trypsin-encapsulated gel was prepared by the sol-gel method. The sol-gel reaction was optimized so that the sol solution containing trypsin forms a thin film on the sol-gel monolith. The trypsin was encapsulated into the gel matrix without losing its activity. The silica monolith was fabricated to fit into a 96-well microtiter plate well and could then be easily removed. The trypsin-immobilized monolith was reacted in the 96-well microtiter plate. After the reaction, the monolith was removed, and the enzymatic activity was measured. The large surface area of the monolith enabled the immobilized trypsin to achieve a high catalytic turnover rate. Furthermore, the kinetic parameter of the immobilized trypsin indicates the absence of diffusional limitations. The durability and repeatability of the fabricated trypsin-coated monolith was tested and found to be satisfactory. The encapsulated trypsin exhibits an increased stability even after continuous use compared with that in free solution. Furthermore, this on-plate bioreactor was applicable to the digestion of protein with multiple cleavage sites.