Hollow-Core Fiber-Based Biosensor: A Platform for Lab-in-Fiber Optical Biosensors for DNA Detection

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lab-in-fiber technology offers miniaturized sensing platforms.
• Hollow-core tube lattice fibers (HC-TLFs) possess unique light-guiding properties.
• Label-free biosensing is crucial for efficient molecular detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate HC-TLFs as a novel platform for label-free DNA detection.
• To develop and validate an optofluidic assay for DNA identification using functionalized HC-TLFs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and characterization of HC-TLFs.
• Chemical functionalization of the fiber's inner surface with peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes.
• Optifluidic assay involving flowing DNA solutions through the functionalized HC-TLF.
• Monitoring changes in the fiber's transmission spectrum to detect DNA binding.

Main Results:

• The functionalized HC-TLF demonstrated sensitive detection of specific DNA sequences.
• Bio-layer formation on the fiber surface induced a measurable red-shift in the transmission spectrum.
• The optofluidic approach enabled label-free identification of DNA molecules.

Conclusions:

• HC-TLFs provide a highly sensitive and effective platform for lab-in-fiber biosensing.
• The developed optofluidic assay allows for label-free DNA detection with high specificity.
• This technology holds promise for various applications in molecular diagnostics and research.