Affinity measurements of biological molecules by a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor

We present a immunosensing system based on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) that allows detection and evaluation of a broad range of molecules relevant to medicine and biology. Soluble analyte is applied by injection into a flow-through chamber where receptor molecules are immobilized, thus enabling real-time measurement of the specific intermolecular interactions. This system can be used for detection purposes, e.g., screening for antibodies, and for determination of affinity constants including affinity evaluation of newly selected or designed aptamers, as kd and ka rates can be derived from the sensograms.