BIO bragg gratings on microfibers for label-free biosensing

Area of Science:

• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Bioanalytical Chemistry
• Optical Biosensing

Background:

• Nanoscale phenomena offer new avenues for bioanalytical applications.
• Existing biosensing methods face challenges with non-specific binding and signal interference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and characterize Bio Bragg Gratings (BBGs) as a novel biosensing platform.
• To explore the design, fabrication, and optimization of BBGs for biorecognition detection.
• To assess the potential of BBGs for label-free, multiplexed bioassays.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of functional biomolecular gratings using microcontact printing on tapered optical microfibers.
• Characterization of structural features and optical properties of BBGs.
• Experimental demonstration of the transduction principle in a representative immunoassay using protein probes and IgG targets.
• Investigation of non-specific binding in human serum samples.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication and characterization of BBGs.
• Experimental validation of the transduction mechanism, converting biorecognition events into detectable spectral intensity changes.
• Demonstration of label-free immunoassay capabilities with reduced non-specific binding.
• Evidence of tunable optical responses for potential multiplexing.

Conclusions:

• BBGs represent a promising novel biosensing platform with potential for sensitive, label-free detection.
• The system offers advantages in minimizing non-specific binding, particularly in complex biological samples like serum.
• Tunable optical properties pave the way for developing multiplexed devices capable of simultaneous, multiple bioassays.