Ze Wu

Silver nanoprism etching-based plasmonic ELISA for the high sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen

Ultrasensitive and quantitative detection using simple and low-cost assays is critical in clinical diagnostics. In this report, we developed a triangular silver nanoprism (AgNPRs) etching-based plasmonic biosensor for the detection of cancer biomarkers. The triangular AgNPRs-based plasmonic biosensor is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay combined with the enzyme-mediated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of triangular AgNPRs. Triangular AgNPRs uses the immune response of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to trigger the glucose oxidase (GOx)-catalysed oxidation of glucose (Glu), producing hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide acts as an oxidant to etch the triangular AgNPRs into smaller spherical silver nanoparticles, which is accompanied by a substantial blueshift of the SPR peak and a colourimetric blue-to-purple change that can be observed by the naked eye. The SPR peak shift enables the quantitative assessment of PSA due to the remarkable colour change. The triangular AgNPRs-based plasmonic ELISA approach exhibited a quasilinear response to logarithmic PSA concentrations in the range of 10fg/mL to 100pg/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.1fg/mL. In addition, the LOD of PSA in this approach exceeds that of the conventional HRP-based ELISA (1.25ng/mL) approach by more than 5 orders of magnitude. Patient serum samples from 16 donors were assayed with triangular AgNPRs-based plasmonic ELISA. The results from the triangular AgNPRs-based immunoassay and the time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay showed excellent correlation, and there were no significant differences in the quantified amounts of PSA. The triangular AgNPRs-based plasmonic ELISA approach has advantages (ultrasensitive, cost-effective, ease of operation) that are expected to be of great interest in diagnostics and to be suitable for a point-of-care test.

Novel versatile smart phone based Microplate readers for on-site diagnoses.

Microplate readers are important diagnostic instruments, used intensively for various readout test kits (biochemical analysis kits and ELISA kits). However, due to their expensive and non-portability, commercial microplate readers are unavailable for home testing, community and rural hospitals, especially in developing countries. In this study, to provide a field-portable, cost-effective and versatile diagnostic tool, we reported a novel smart phone based microplate reader. The basic principle of this devise relies on a smart phones optical sensor that measures transmitted light intensities of liquid samples. To prove the validity of these devises, developed smart phone based microplate readers were applied to readout results of various analytical targets. These targets included analanine aminotransferase (ALT; limit of detection (LOD) was 17.54 U/L), alkaline phosphatase (AKP; LOD was 15.56 U/L), creatinine (LOD was 1.35μM), bovine serum albumin (BSA; LOD was 0.0041mg/mL), prostate specific antigen (PSA; LOD was 0.76pg/mL), and ractopamine (Rac; LOD was 0.31ng/mL). The developed smart phone based microplate readers are versatile, portable, and inexpensive; they are unique because of their ability to perform under circumstances where resources and expertize are limited.

Pt@AuNPs integrated quantitative capillary-based biosensors for point-of-care testing application.

Current diagnostic technologies primarily rely on bulky and costly analytical instruments. Therefore, cost-effective and portable diagnosis tools that can be used for point-of-care tests (POCT) are highly desirable. In this study, we report a cost-effective, portable capillary-based biosensor for quantitative detection of biomarkers by the naked eye. This capillary-based biosensor was tested by measuring the distance of blue ink movement, which was directly correlated with the oxygen (O2) produced by efficient core-shell Pt@Au nanoparticles (Pt@AuNPs) catalysts decomposed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). By linking the Pt@AuNPs with antibodies, capillary-based biosensor sandwich immunoassays were constructed. The concentrations of the target proteins were positively correlated with the distances of ink movement. To demonstrate their performance, the biosensors were used to detect the cancer biomarker sprostate-specific antigen (PSA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The linear detection range (LDR) of the capillary-based biosensor for detecting PSA was from 0.02 to 2.5ng/mL, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.017ng/mL. LDR of the biosensor for detecting CEA was from 0.063 to 16ng/mL, and the LOD was 0.044ng/mL. For detection of PSA and CEA in clinical serum samples, the detection results of the capillary-based biosensor were well correlate with the results from of chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIAs). Thus, the capillary-based biosensor may potentially be a useful strategy for point-of-care testing, in addition to being portable and cost effective.

A portable chromium ion detection system based on a smartphone readout device

Existing quantitative tests for detecting chromium ions (Cr) require complex instruments and trained technicians and therefore cannot be used on-site or in resource-limited areas. Herein, we designed a portable Cr(III) detection system based on a smartphone readout device and an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The competitive ELISA is based on a specific monoclonal antibody against Cr(III)–EDTA and gold nanoparticles amplified the HRP signal. The readout device is comprised of a light source and a miniaturized assay platform. A smartphone with an application called “Light Meter” was used to record and process detection signals from the readout device. To demonstrate the performance, the system was used to detect Cr(III) in spiked water samples. The novel system had a positive correlation (R2 = 0.995) between the signal and Cr(III) concentration with a linear detection range of 0.8–50 ng mL−1 and a limit of detection of 0.81 ng mL−1. Furthermore, the assay was used to detect Cr(III) in Pearl River water samples. The results obtained by this method were consistent with those obtained by ICP-MS. This test system also showed a good selectivity for the detection of Cr(III) compared with other heavy metals. These results from our portable detection system based on a smartphone readout device show promise in using the system for environmental monitoring.

Versatile Barometer Biosensor Based on Au@Pt Core/Shell Nanoparticle Probe

There is a high global demand for sensitive, portable, user-friendly, and cost-effective biosensors. In this work, we introduce a barometer-based biosensor for the detection of a broad range of targets. The device is operated by measuring the pressure change produced by oxygen (O2) generation in a limited chamber using a portable barometer. The design employs core-shell Au@Pt nanoparticles (Au@PtNPs) as the bioassay probe to catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 and the release of O2. As a proof of concept, we developed barometer-based immunosensors to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and ractopamine (Rac). In addition, barometer-based aptasensors for sensitive detection of thrombin and mercury ion (Hg2+) were also developed. In order to facilitate the analysis of results, we have developed smartphone software to calculate, save, and wirelessly trsnsmit the results. Linear detection ranges for detection of CEA, Rac, thrombin, and Hg2+ were 0.025-1.6 ng/mL, 0.0625-4 ng/mL, 4-128 U/L, and 0.25-16 ng/mL, respectively. The detection limit of these four analytes is 0.021 ng/mL, 0.051 ng/mL, 2.4 U/L, and 0.22 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the developed barometer-based biosensors exhibited high specificities for these four analytes. CEA in serum samples, Rac in urine samples, thrombin in serum samples, and Hg2+ in river water samples were measured by the barometer-based biosensors. Obtained results of these targets from barometer-based biosensors were consistent with detection results from traditional methods, indicating that barometer-based biosensors are widely applicable.

In-situ glucose detection in human serum using a plasmonic tilted fiber grating with etched silver coating

In-situ glucose detection in human serum has been achieved by using a silver-coated plasmonic tilted fiber grating. The concentration of the glucose is proportional to the etching rate and monitored by the SPR attenuation.

High sensitive thrombin protein detection using a plasmonic tilted fiber grating biosensor

Plasmonic fiber-optic biosensor composed of a tilted fiber grating and nanometric coating has been proposed. In-situ thrombin protein detection with the detectable concentration of 1 μM has been experimentally achieved.