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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Optical Detection of E. coli Bacteria by Mesoporous Silicon Biosensors
Published on: November 21, 2013
An optical biosensor for rapid and label-free detection of cells
Ghanashyam Acharya1, Chun-Li Chang, Cagri Savran
1School of Mechanical Engineering, and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Abstract:
We report a broadly applicable optical method for rapid and label-free detection of as few as 45 cells. In this method, bacterial cells are detected by measuring the amount of laser light transmitted through a small glass well functionalized with antibodies which specifically recognize and capture the cells. The described approach is simple, rapid, economical, and promising for portable and high-throughput detection of a wide variety of pathogenic and infectious cells.

