Prostate specific antigen detection in patient sera by fluorescence-free BioCD protein array

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Biosensor Technology
• Proteomics

Background:

• Fluorescence-free biosensors offer label-free protein detection with quantitative signals.
• Non-specific binding in high-background samples like serum limits current fluorescence-free biosensor applications.
• Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a key biomarker for prostate cancer detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the BioCD, a fluorescence-free biosensor utilizing optical interferometry, for protein detection.
• To assess the BioCD's capability in detecting prostate specific antigen (PSA) within patient serum samples.
• To overcome the limitations of non-specific binding in high-background biological fluids.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 96-well anti-PSA microarray format with the BioCD optical interferometry biosensor.
• Tested the biosensor's performance using patient serum samples to detect PSA.
• Compared BioCD results with established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods.

Main Results:

• Achieved a detection limit of 4 ng/ml for PSA in serum.
• Successfully measured PSA concentrations in patient sera, demonstrating quantitative accuracy.
• Observed strong correlation between BioCD measurements and ELISA results.

Conclusions:

• The BioCD fluorescence-free biosensor effectively detects PSA in high-background serum samples.
• Demonstrated potential for clinical applications by overcoming non-specific binding challenges.
• The technology offers a promising label-free approach for biomarker detection in complex biological matrices.