Development of SERS biosensor platforms for biomarker detection

Abstract

Some minute experimental procedures are excluded due to the confidentiality issues associated with Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC), A*STAR. The objective of this project is to develop a Surface Enhance Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) biosensing platform, which allows the detection of biomarkers specifically with high sensitivity. In the first part of the project, two different types of SERS substrates were being used as biosensing platform for detection of different protein biomarkers. Substrates that were used in the studies are Commercial Silmeco silver nanopillar and in-house silver coated paper substrates. Different protein biomarkers such as Haptoglobin, P53 and MMP9 were detected using the developed biosensor platforms. Protein biomarkers were detected by indirect approach without the use of secondary antibody. Proteins were modified to allow it to attach to the substrates, and the corresponding antibody will then be labelled with a Raman Reporter Molecule (RRM). The proteins can be detected indirectly through the SERS response of the RRM used. For the second part of the project, after setting the optimum conditions for both Silmeco silver nanopillar substrates and in-house silver coated paper substrates, the experiments were conducted under similar conditions in a 3-hole solid core photonic crystal fiber (3H-SCPCF) probe.