Gold-Copper core shell nanowires have been electrodeposited and their electrochemical and Raman properties probed. First, hollow copper nanotubes, 3.2 +/- 0.1 mu m long, with a uniform diameter of 70 +/- 22 nm, were electrodeposited within the pores of a track etched polycarbonate membrane filter. Second, gold was then electrodeposited within these copper cylinders to yield the gold-copper core-shell nanowires. Nanowires, functionalised with probe strand DNA, that is complementary to that of the pathogen Staph. Aureus, only on their ends, can be immobilised onto an electrode surface in a DNA sandwich assay. Significantly, the charge associated with the selective oxidation of the copper shell depends linearly on the target DNA concentration from 1 nM to 100 mu M.