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Updated: Jun 8, 2025
Rapid Nanoprobe Signal Enhancement by In Situ Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis
Published on: March 7, 2018
Sensitivity evaluation of an optical microfiber featuring interfaces with various gold nanoparticle morphologies:
Aoxiang Xiao1, Xiaolan Wu2, Jiaying Zheng2
1Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China; Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Key Lab of Guangzhou Basic and Translational Research of Pan-vascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
A novel biosensor detects glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a biomarker for traumatic brain injury (TBI), at ultra-low concentrations. This portable, label-free method offers sensitive GFAP detection in body fluids for early TBI diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Biomarker Detection
Background:
- Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a key biomarker for neurological conditions, notably traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- Existing biosensing methods often lack the sensitivity required for detecting GFAP at the ultralow concentrations present in early-stage disease indicators.
- There is a need for cost-effective, portable, and highly sensitive biosensors for rapid GFAP detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a cost-effective, portable, and label-free biosensing system for sensitive and rapid detection of GFAP.
- To enhance sensor sensitivity using gold nanoparticle interfaces for detecting ultralow GFAP concentrations.
- To validate the biosensor's performance in various body fluids for TBI diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Development of an optical microfiber sensor integrated with gold nanoparticles of varying morphologies.
- Utilizing gold nanostars to enhance evanescent field effects for improved GFAP detection sensitivity.
- Testing the sensor's performance in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), serum, and artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Main Results:
- The optical microfiber sensor with a gold nanostar interface demonstrated significantly enhanced sensitivity.
- Achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.09 aM for GFAP in PBS, enabling single-molecule detection.
- Demonstrated low LODs in biological fluids: 0.21 aM in serum and 0.1 aM in artificial CSF.
Conclusions:
- The developed biosensor provides a highly sensitive, portable, and label-free method for GFAP detection.
- This technology is valuable for the early diagnosis and severity assessment of TBI using body fluid analysis.
- The sensor's performance at the single-molecule level offers a significant advancement in biomarker detection for neurological diseases.
