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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells
Published on: January 29, 2014
Hand-held optical sensor using denatured antibody coated electro-active polymer for ultra-trace detection of copper
Sutapa Chandra1, Arvind Dhawangale1, Soumyo Mukherji1
1Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India.
Abstract:
An optimum copper concentration in environment is highly desired for all forms of life. We have developed an ultrasensitive copper sensor which functions from femto to micro molar concentration accurately (R2 = 0.98). The sensor is based on denatured antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG), immobilized on polyaniline (PAni) which in turn is the coating on the core of an optical fiber. The sensing relies on changes in evanescent wave absorbance in the presence of the analyte. The sensor showed excellent selectivity towards Cu (II) ions over all other metal ions. The sensor was tested with lake and marine water samples to determine unknown concentrations of copper ions and the recovery results were within 90-115%, indicating reasonable accuracy. We further integrated the fiber-optic sensor with a miniaturized hand-held instrumentation platform to develop an accurate and field deployable device which can broadly be applicable to determine Cu (II) concentration in a wide range of systems - natural water bodies, soil as well as blood serum.
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