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D-shaped plastic optical fibre aptasensor for fast thrombin detection in nanomolar range
Nunzio Cennamo1, Laura Pasquardini2, Francesco Arcadio1
1Department of Engineering, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Via Roma 29, Aversa, Italy.
Scientific Reports
|December 12, 2019
Summary
A novel plastic optical fibre biosensor detects thrombin, a key blood clotting marker, rapidly and affordably. This aptasensor offers a low-cost, portable platform for quick clinical diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Optoelectronics
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Clinical biomarker detection is crucial for medical diagnostics.
- Existing methods for thrombin detection can be slow and costly.
- Need for rapid, low-cost, and portable diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a fast and low-cost biosensor for thrombin detection.
- To utilize a plasmonic D-shaped plastic optical fibre (POF) sensor.
- To create a functional interface for aptamer immobilization.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a plasmonic D-shaped POF sensor.
- Development of a Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAM) interface using Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) and biotin-PEG.
- Characterization of SAM using XPS, contact angle, SPR, and fluorescence microscopy.
- Immobilization of thrombin-specific aptamers via streptavidin-chemistry.
Main Results:
- Optimized SAM enabled aptamer immobilization (112 ng/cm²).
- Thrombin detection achieved within 5-10 minutes.
- Limit of Detection (LOD) of approximately 1 nM.
- Detection range of 1.6-60 nM.
Conclusions:
- The developed POF-Aptasensor is a rapid, low-cost, and portable diagnostic platform.
- It effectively detects thrombin, a marker for blood homeostasis and coagulation.
- The sensor addresses the need for accessible and efficient clinical diagnostic tools.
