Interferometric biosensor based on guided-mode resonances
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Research towards photonic biosensors for point-of-care applications and personalized medicine is driven by the need for high-sensitivity, low-cost and reliable technology. Amongst the most sensitive modalities, interferometry offers particularly high performance but typically lacks the required operational simplicity and robustness. The project investigates a common-path interferometric sensor based on guided-mode resonances to combine high performance with inherent stability. We see applications in antibiotic guidance and possibilities for detecting clinically or environmentally relevant small molecules with an intrinsically simple and robust sensing modality.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Thomas Krauss (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Isabel Barth (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509759/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 2253223 | Studentship | EP/N509759/1 | 01/01/2018 | 31/12/2020 | Isabel Barth |
| Description | We designed a biosensor based on guided-mode resonances, a phenomenon that uses laser light to excite resonant signals inside nanoscale gratings. We improved this technology by simultaneously exciting two resonant modes with a low-cost laser diode. Our approach enables sensing of protein-antibody binding induced refractive index changes using relative phase differences between the two modes, minimizing the impact of noise due to outside sources including mechanical vibrations. We demonstrated label-free detection of procalcitonin, a key biomarker for bacterial infections, at picogram/milliliter scales, which could, for example, be relevant in the context of bacterial co-infections of COVID-19 patients. |
| Exploitation Route | We will take the outcomes of this funding forward by further improving the sensitivity of our technology in order to be able to detect lower concentrations of small molecules, which corresponds to a potential earlier and more accurate diagnosis of disease in the future. In order to implement our research as a valuable biomedical tool, which could be used by doctors, we will further reduce the overall size and cost of our sensor and apply it to real human samples in order to prove the applicability of our technology outside a University laboratory. |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-020-0336-6 |