C-reactive protein (CRP) plays an important role in inflammation detection and disease monitoring. The optical biosensor is a highly sensitive and easy detection tool. The microfluidic self-driving optical sensors were fabricated with transparent glass material and used for the enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) optical detection of the model protein CRP using Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and a sandwich immune reaction. The 3D design of the chip was devised to improve the optical coupling efficiency and enable integration with a microfluidic control and rapid detection. The array of pre-fixed antibody modified by Au nanoparticles was used to achieve rapid antigen capture and improve the optical sensitivity. The Au nanoparticle amplification approach was introduced for the SPR detection of a target protein. CRP was used as a model target protein as part of a sandwich assay. The use of Au NP measurements to detect the target signal is a threefold improvement compared to single SPR detection methods.
Keywords: amplification effect of nanoparticle; microfluidic biosensor; optomagnetic detection; sandwich assay.