Peptide-Based Plasmon-Enhanced Spectroscopic Immunoassay to Detect Immunity Against Cytomegalovirus

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Immune status monitoring is vital for managing infections and treating vulnerable populations.
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection detection requires sensitive and rapid diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a highly sensitive plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) sensor for detecting acquired immunity to Cytomegalovirus (CMV).
• To leverage self-assembly-derived gold nanopillar arrays for enhanced plasmonic detection of anti-CMV antibodies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized peptide monolayers with specific affinity for anti-CMV antibodies to capture them on sensor surfaces.
• Employed plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) leveraging electromagnetic hotspots in gold nanopillar arrays.
• Compared PEF sensor performance against traditional planar surface plasmon resonance sensors.

Main Results:

• PEF sensors demonstrated high sensitivity, detecting a small fraction of antibodies compared to planar sensors.
• The assay showed promise for miniaturized sensing footprints, spatial multiplexing, and rapid response times.
• Peptide-based capture and PEF detection proved effective for anti-CMV antibody quantification.

Conclusions:

• PEF sensors offer a promising platform for sensitive and rapid diagnostics of acquired immunity.
• The developed technology is applicable to various diagnostic contexts involving peptide-protein interactions.
• This advancement facilitates improved infection management and treatment strategies, particularly for CMV.