Low-cost label-free whispering gallery mode electrospun optical biosensor for simultaneous detection of multiple biomolecules.

生物分子的快速、现场检测对于生物医药行业、环境监测、食品安全和质量至关重要。因此，对新的高性能传感器技术的需求持续存在，能够在小样本体积内以较低的成本检测许多目标生物分子。这项研究项目将有助于解决社会对坚固和灵敏的生物传感器的需求，这种传感器成本低，易于制造，并且能够同时检测许多生物分子。将使用一种灵敏的、基于光纤的光学平台，其中发射光波长的变化发出目标生物分子的存在和数量的信号。在该平台内，多个传感器将集成到一个小区域内，形成高密度生物传感器阵列，可以同时从相同的小样本体积中检测多个生物分子。与目标生物分子相互作用的生物识别元件将直接集成到每个单独的传感器中，使用简单且可扩展的一步方法。在光纤传感器中加入生物识别元件将进一步促进对多个生物分子的传感，同时保持较小的占地面积和最小的样本体积。该研究项目将为一系列旨在激励、招募和培训一批未来科学家和工程师的指导和外展活动提供支持。研究人员的努力将有利于研究生、本科生和中学生的教育。本研究项目的目标是展示和开发一种电纺耳语廊模式谐振器，该谐振器集成了基于噬菌体的识别元件，作为坚固、高灵敏度的多路光学生物传感器。电纺纤维具有近圆形的横截面和可控的微尺度直径，是制作低成本、易于制造的耳语走廊模式谐振器的极佳候选者。此外，这些简单、紧凑的光学设备将允许在一小块区域内放置几个具有不同光学特征的空腔，用于生物分子分析或多路传感。电纺非常适合在高浓度下将丝状噬菌体等生物识别元件整合到光学腔中。基于噬菌体的生物受体为高灵敏度检测提供了组织良好和高度定向的分析物结合位点的高密度。噬菌体在化学和热方面都很坚固，可以承受一系列的传感条件，并且可以用细菌宿主廉价地大量生产。将生物感受器集成到回音廊模式光学腔中，将不再需要腔制造后的生物功能化步骤，从而最大限度地降低制造复杂性，减少生物传感器占地面积，并实现直接的多分析物检测。此外，与丝状噬菌体相关的高度定向的生物感受器的无与伦比的密度，以及由电纺支架产生的长程和短程有序性，有望制造出具有无与伦比的灵敏度和选择性的生物传感器。

Rapid, on-site detection of biomolecules is critical for the biomedical industry, environmental monitoring, food safety and quality. As such, there is a constant demand for novel high performance sensor technologies, capable of detecting many target biomolecules within small sample volume at a reduced cost. This research project will aid in addressing societal needs for robust and sensitive biosensors which are low-cost, readily manufacturable, and are able to sense many biomolecules at a time. A sensitive, fiber-based optical platform in which a change in emitted light wavelength signals the presence and amount of the target biomolecule will be used. Within this platform, multiple sensors will be integrated into a small area to create high density biosensor array which can concurrently detect multiple biomolecules from the same small sample volume. Biorecognition elements, which interact with the target biomolecules allowing them to be detected, will be directly integrated into each individual sensor using a simple and scalable, one-step approach. The incorporation of biorecognition elements into the fiber-based sensors will further facilitate sensing of multiple biomolecules while maintaining a small footprint and minimal sample volume. This research project will provide support for a number of mentoring and outreach activities designed to inspire, recruit, and train a diverse set of future scientists and engineers. The investigators' endeavors will benefit the education of graduate, undergraduate, and middle school students.The objective of this research project is to demonstrate and develop an electrospun whispering gallery mode resonators with integrated phage-based recognition elements as robust, highly-sensitive multiplexed optical biosensors. With near circular cross-sections and controlled microscale diameters, electrospun fibers are excellent candidates for low-cost, readily manufacturable whispering gallery mode resonators. Moreover, these simple, compact optical devices will allow several cavities with distinct optical signatures to be placed within a small area to be used for biomolecule assays or multiplexed sensing. Electrospinning is well-suited to incorporate biorecognition elements such as filamentous phage within the optical cavity at high concentrations. Phage-based bioreceptors provide a high density of well-organized and highly-oriented analyte binding sites for high sensitivity detection. Phages are chemically and thermally robust, tolerating a range of sensing conditions and can be manufactured inexpensively in large quantities with a bacterial host. The integration of bioreceptors into the whispering gallery mode optical cavity will eliminate the need for biofunctionalization steps following cavity fabrication, thus minimizing manufacturing complexity, reducing biosensor footprint, and enabling straightforward multiple analyte detection. Furthermore, the unsurpassed density of highly-oriented bioreceptors associated with the filamentous phage, as well as the long- and short-range ordering created by the electrospun scaffold is expected to produce biosensors with unparalleled sensitivity and selectivity.