Optofluidic Waveguides for the Label-Free Study of Silk Protein Aggregates

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Protein aggregation is critical for disease pathology and biomaterial development.
• Existing methods for studying protein aggregation have limitations in volume, labeling, and integration.
• A scalable, label-free, noncontact platform is needed for continuous-flow microfluidic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel optofluidic technique for studying protein aggregation.
• To demonstrate label-free, continuous-flow microfluidic analysis of silk fibroin aggregation.
• To provide a versatile platform for protein biophysics research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized hollow-core photonic crystal fibers as optofluidic waveguides.
• Performed continuous-flow microfluidic experiments for label-free analysis.
• Employed ultraviolet absorbance and intrinsic fluorescence measurements for in situ monitoring.

Main Results:

• Successfully studied preformed silk fibroin nanofibrillar aggregates.
• Monitored in situ aggregation of native silk fibroin protein.
• Demonstrated label-free ultraviolet absorbance measurements on nanospheres and aggregates.

Conclusions:

• The developed optofluidic technique offers a low-volume, label-free platform for protein aggregation studies.
• This method is suitable for continuous-flow microfluidic integration and scalability.
• Provides a valuable tool for advancing protein biophysics and understanding aggregation-related diseases.