An immunosensor for the determination of carcinoembryonic antigen by Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is one of the biomarkers most commonly used to determine tumor activity. In this work, a Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) immunosensor was developed. The immunosensor consists of a cysteamine linker attached to a gold chip and mouse monoclonal anti-CEA antibody bonded by the "EDC/NHS protocol". The formation of successive immunosensor layers was confirmed by AFM measurements. The concentration of the antibody was optimized. The linear response range of the developed immunosensor is between 0.40 and 20 ng mL^-1, and it is suitable for CEA measurement in both blood cancer patients and healthy individuals. Only 3 μL of serum or plasma sample is required, and no preconcentration is used. The method has a precision of 2-16%, a recovery of 101-104% depending on CEA concentration, a detection limit of 0.12 ng mL^-1 and a quantification limit of 0.40 ng mL^-1. The method is selective (with respect to albumin, leptin, interleukin 6, metalloproteinase-1, metallopeptidase inhibitor 1 and CA 125/MUC16) and it was validated by comparison with the standard electrochemiluminescence method on a series of colorectal cancer blood samples.