Tuberculosis determination using SERS and chemometric methods.

Area of Science:

• Plasmonics
• Nanotechnology
• Spectroscopy
• Biomedical Diagnostics

Background:

• Raman spectroscopy offers valuable molecular fingerprinting but requires enhancement for trace detection.
• Plasmonic nanostructures significantly amplify Raman signals, enabling ultrasensitive molecular detection.
• Developing efficient nanostructure designs is crucial for advancing Raman spectroscopy applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate diverse plasmonic nanostructures for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).
• To evaluate the sensitivity and uniformity of SERS-active substrates for molecular detection.
• To demonstrate the first-time application of SERS for label-free detection of Tuberculosis (TB) in serum samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of various plasmonic nanostructures (Vertical, Zig Zag, Slant nanorods, Spherical nanoparticles) using DC magnetron sputtering.
• Assessment of nanostructure performance using a reference dye analyte for sensitivity and uniformity.
• Application of SERS for label-free detection of TB biomarkers in patient serum samples.
• Development and testing of multivariate statistical methods (PCA, SVM, Decision Tree, Random Forest) for data analysis and discrimination.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated and characterized diverse plasmonic nanostructures exhibiting SERS activity.
• Demonstrated ultrasensitive detection capabilities of the fabricated SERS substrates.
• Achieved label-free detection of Tuberculosis from human serum samples for the first time using SERS.
• Showcased the effectiveness of chemometric methods in discriminating between healthy and active TB patient samples based on SERS spectra.

Conclusions:

• Plasmonic nanostructures are effective SERS substrates for ultrasensitive molecular detection.
• SERS combined with chemometric analysis provides a promising platform for the clinical diagnosis of Tuberculosis.
• This method offers a potential new avenue for rapid and accurate infectious disease diagnostics.