Design and validation of fiber optic localized surface plasmon resonance sensor for thyroglobulin immunoassay with high sensitivity and rapid detection

Abstract

A simple optical fiber sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance was constructed for direct and rapid measurement of thyroglobulin (Tg). Specific tests for Tg in patients that have undergone thyroidectomy are limited because of insufficient sensitivity, complicated procedures, and in some cases, a long time to yield a result. A sensitive, fast, and simple method is necessary to relieve the psychological and physical burden of the patient. Various concentrations of Tg were measured in a microfluidic channel using an optical fiber sensor with gold nanoparticles. The sensor chip has a detection limit of 93.11 fg/mL with no specificity for other antigens. The potential applicability of the Tg sensing system was evaluated using arbitrary samples containing specific concentrations of Tg. Finally, the sensor can be employed to detect Tg in the patient’s serum, with a good correlation when compared with the commercial kit.

Recent Progress on Microfluidics Integrated with Fiber-Optic Sensors for On-Site Detection

“…Protein assay plays a crucial role in proteomics studies, which have important research implications for clinical diagnosis and disease status [88]. Kim et al [89] proposed a simple FO-LSPR sensor for the rapid measurement of thyroglobulin. The sensing region located on the fiber end-face was composed of AuNPs with a 55 nm diameter and attached to the microchannel, whose height and width were designed as 250 µm to accommodate it.…”

Cost-Effective Fiber Optic Solutions for Biosensing

“…In work performed by Kim et al [ 138 ], a fiber-optic LSPR sensor combined with a microfluidic channel was proposed to detect Tg. One of the preparation steps for optical fibers involved treating them with Au NPs (average diameter of 50 nm).…”

“…The device was exposed to a range of concentrations of Tg, giving the LOD of 93.11 fg/mL. Comparatively, the response time was 10 min, whereas conventional techniques such as chemiluminescence assay (CLIA), immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA), and immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) take a day or more [ 138 ].…”

Micropreconcentrators: Recent Progress in Designs and Applications

“…Depending on the specific field and area of application, the employed definitions of LoD may vary significantly [ 7 ], however, regardless of employed definition, the issue of insufficient sensitivity of some detection methods persists and can be encountered in a broad variety of applications. This is exemplified by the issues of the on-road monitoring of NO X [ 8 ], the measurement of thyroglobulin in human serum [ 9 ], and detecting contaminants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [ 10 ] and mercury cations [ 11 ].…”