Antibody-conjugated Gold Nanoparticles integrated in a fluorescence based Biochip

• Main Author: Ljungblad, Jonas
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi 2009
• Subjects: Gold nanoparticles; Bioconjugation; Metal enhanced fluorescence; Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance; Ultra Violet/Visible spectroscopy; Atomic Force Microscopy; Transmission Electron Microscope; Scanning Electron Microscope; Molecular physics; Molekylfysik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-50619

Gold nanoparticles exhibit remarkable optical properties and could prove useful in sensitive biosensing applications. Upon illumination gold nanoparticles produce localized surface plasmons, which influence nearby fluorophores and an enhancement in their fluorescence intensity can be observed. This property makes gold nanoparticles attractive for enhancing optical signals. In this project gold nanoparticles were functionalized with an antibody and immobilized to the surface of an existing biochip platform based on fluorescence. The aim was to investigate the possibility of obtaining an increased fluorescence signal from the gold nanoparticles. Two different conjugation procedures were investigated, direct physisorption and covalent attachment of the antibodies to the particles. Activity of bound antibodies was confirmed in both cases. The on-chip fluorescence intensity produced by the different conjugates was monitored by use a specialized fluorescence reader designed for point-of-care use. AFM and SEM were used to determine the surface concentration of particles. A correlation between the produced fluorescence intensity and the surface concentration could be seen.