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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications

Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications

Published on: September 23, 2013

An antibody-based molecular switch for continuous small-molecule biosensing.

Ian A P Thompson¹, Jason Saunders¹, Liwei Zheng²

¹Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Science Advances

|September 22, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We developed antibody-switches for real-time, sample-free biosensing of small molecules. This modular design enables continuous optical detection of biomarkers like cortisol in biological samples.

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Determination of High-affinity Antibody-antigen Binding Kinetics Using Four Biosensor Platforms

Determination of High-affinity Antibody-antigen Binding Kinetics Using Four Biosensor Platforms

Published on: April 17, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Molecular Biology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Continuous monitoring of small-molecule biomarkers is crucial for diagnostics.
Existing biosensing methods often require sample preparation and lack real-time detection capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a generalizable method for creating antibody-based biosensors capable of continuous, real-time, and sample-preparation-free detection of small-molecule biomarkers.
To engineer "antibody-switches" for optical biosensing applications.

Main Methods:

Antibodies were engineered into target-responsive "antibody-switches" by linking them to a molecular competitor via a DNA scaffold.
Competitive binding of the target analyte induced scaffold switching and fluorescent signal changes.
The system was demonstrated for sensing digoxigenin and cortisol in undiluted plasma.
Sensitivity modulation was achieved by altering the molecular competitor for cortisol detection.
The antibody-switch was integrated with a fiber optic sensor for continuous monitoring.

Main Results:

Rapid, sample-preparation-free sensing of digoxigenin and cortisol in undiluted plasma was achieved.
The cortisol switch demonstrated tunable sensitivity across a wide concentration range (3.3 nM to 3.3 mM).
Continuous sensing of cortisol in buffer and blood with a time resolution under 5 minutes was successfully demonstrated.

Conclusions:

The developed antibody-switch platform offers a modular and versatile approach for continuous biosensing.
This technology has the potential to enable the development of real-time biosensors for a wide array of small-molecule biomarkers.
The method eliminates the need for sample preparation, simplifying biosensing procedures.