Designing affinity-based nanoswitches on a fiber optic surface plasmon resonance biosensor for continuous biomarker monitoring.

Biomarker monitoring enables the acquisition of quantitative information about the status of the analyzed sample, allowing diagnosis, intervention, and quality control. However, biomarker monitoring is currently performed via batch measurements, which is a tedious and time-consuming process, limiting rapid diagnosis or intervention. Continuous biosensors provide real-time information, thereby overcoming these challenges and enabling direct and feedback-controlled intervention. Unfortunately, these biosensors are still in their infancy, and there is currently no approach suitable for the detection of various types of targets. Therefore, we aim to design and develop a new concept for continuous biosensing, by developing a library of affinity-based nanoswitches and combining them with a new signal generation concept, based on the spatial redistribution of gold nanoparticles on FO-SPR sensors. As a result, a highly innovative concept will be obtained, applicable to a variety of targets, which will be applied in complex matrices that are relevant in fields such as health care, biotechnology and food production.

Keywords:Fiber optic surface plasmon resonance, Continuous biosensing, Affinity-based nanoswitches, Modelling, Gold nanoparticles

Disciplines:Chemical aspects of sensor technology, Reaction kinetics and dynamics, Surface and interface chemistry, Chemical thermodynamics and energetics, (Bio)molecular modelling and design