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Development and In-Depth Characterization of Bacteria Repellent and Bacteria Adhesive Antibody-Coated Surfaces Using
Eniko Farkas1, Robert Tarr1,2, Tamás Gerecsei1,3
1Centre for Energy Research, Nanobiosensorics Laboratory, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, 1121 Budapest, Hungary.
Biosensors
|February 24, 2022
Summary
This study developed advanced biosensors using optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) to create bacteria repellent surfaces and antibody coatings. The best system achieved high sensitivity for detecting bacterial adhesion, crucial for biomedical devices.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biosensor Technology
- Surface Science
Background:
- Growing demand for bacteria repellent surfaces and antibody coatings in biosensors and biomedical devices.
- Lack of in-depth comparative studies on available solutions for bacterial adhesion control.
- Optical Waveguide Lightmode Spectroscopy (OWLS) offers label-free, in situ characterization of adsorption and surface coatings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an OWLS-based method for creating bacteria repellent surfaces.
- To characterize layer structures and affinities of antibody coatings for bacterial assays.
- To compare different blocking agents and antibody immobilization techniques for optimal biosensor performance.
Main Methods:
- Coating OWLS chips with various blocking agents (BSA, I-block, PAcrAM-P, PP) and monitoring *Escherichia coli* adhesion.
- Testing diverse antibody immobilization methods: physisorption, Mix&Go, protein A, and avidin-biotin.
- Utilizing OWLS to determine surface mass densities, kinetic data, and binding event parameters.
- Employing Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to assess antibody binding capabilities.
Main Results:
- Identified blocking agents effective against bacterial adhesion up to 107 cells/mL.
- Characterized different immobilization chemistries and their impact on antibody orientation and binding kinetics.
- Demonstrated a surface sensitivity of 70 cells/mm2 with an optimized system.
- Protein A immobilization with PAcrAM-P blocking and polyclonal antibodies yielded the best biosensor performance.
Conclusions:
- The developed OWLS method effectively supports the creation of bacteria repellent surfaces and antibody-based biosensors.
- Optimized immobilization strategies and blocking agents significantly enhance biosensor sensitivity and specificity for bacterial detection.
- The study provides a framework for designing advanced biosensors for critical biomedical applications.

