Plasmonic Biosensing Platform Based On Hyperbolic Metamaterials
- Detailed Technology Description
- None
- *Abstract
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Dr. Giuseppe Strangi and his team at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) have developed a new extremely sensitive miniaturized plasmonic biosensor platform based on hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM). This platform has proved to be able to detect ultralow-molecular-weight (244 Da) biomolecules at picomolar concentrations using standard affinity models. The technology addresses unmet clinical needs, since a longstanding physical limit has been broken by surpassing the optical diffraction limit. Metal-dielectric nanostructures have been designed and coupled with microfluidic chips to drive targeted molecules on the sensing area. The capability of the technology is 1 million times more sensitive than the current best available technologies and it possesses the ability to identify a single lightweight molecule in a highly diluted solution. This sensing platform has also been demonstrated to possess an intrinsic label-free specificity based on multimodal response with differential sensitivity. All these are unique features that provide groundbreaking optical sensor technology with a high technological potential. Applications include diagnosis of certain cancers far earlier than possible today by detecting very low molecular weight proteins expressed specifically by circulating tumor cells at very low concentration. The platform will also be useful in diagnosing and monitoring other diseases, including infectious diseases and gas sensing. Recent advances have enabled this sensing technology to harness hypersensitive bulk plasmon polaritons that can be excited via lithography free adaptive optics (waveguides or scatterers). This is a striking step forward for efficiency and cost effectiveness.
- Country/Region
- USA
