A stochastic, cantilever approach to the evaluation of solution phase thermodynamic quantities.

A cantilever device based on competitive binding of an immobilized receptor to immobilized and soluble ligand and capable of measuring solution-phase thermodynamic quantities is described. Through multiple binary queries, the device stochastically measures the probability of the formation of a bound complex between immobilized protein and immobilized ligand as a function of soluble ligand concentration. The resulting binding isotherm is described by a binding polynomial consisting of the activities of soluble and immobilized ligand and binding constants for the association of immobilized protein with free and immobilized ligand. Evaluation of the polynomial reveals an association constant for the formation of a complex between immobilized ligand and immobilized protein close to that for the formation of complex between soluble protein and soluble ligand. The methodology lays the foundation for construction of practical portable sensing devices.