J. Daza, J. Sutachán, J. Iglesias, S. Albarracín, E. González
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana,
Colombia
Keywords: neuroscience, microfluhidic, resonance, plasmonic
Summary:
The implementation of a bioassay system based on surface plasmon technology for automatic detection of intermediate metabolites in a glia cells monolayer is presented [1-2]. This system, due to its rapid response and accuracy, can contribute efficiently to the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases [3]. From the proposed system, it is possible to obtain information about the metabolic products derivate from healthy astrocyte cultures [4]. In addition, expressions of metabolic patterns derived from different stages of astrocytes growth and the creation of reference metabolic profile belong to the normal cell growth, becomes possible [5-6]. Once the reference metabolic profile has been stablished, it is feasible to study the variations of these profiles caused by the different injuries on the cells. In addition, the use of this approach allows intensification of different biomarkers that characterize the stage of cell damage in the progression of neurodegerative diseases. For the identification of molecules of interest, it was necessary to design and implement of superficial plasmon bionanosensor with criteria of portability, low cost and precision. The device is based on the Kretschmann configuration. Au fcc (111) gold film of 50 nm thickness to immobilize the recognition and fixation agents of the molecules of interest and a microfluidics array were used [7]. Finally, the characterization and validation of results were performed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectrophotometry. The system presented in this work, has a high resolution, precision and selectivity, which makes it a powerful tool to assist the tasks of diagnosis and treatment in neurodegenerative diseases.