A. Hernández, E. González
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana,
Colombia
Keywords: surface plasmon resonance, SPR, sensor, kinetic mode, neurodegenerative diseases, molecular agents
Summary:
Emerging technologies in micro and nanoscale are opening a development route of new instrumental capabilities for sensing. The development of portable, low-cost, highly accurate and rapid platforms for detecting biological agents is one of the main challenges of technological development based on the aforementioned emerging technologies. At present, the standard for detection and measurement of biological agents (cells, microorganisms, among others) is based on methods such as: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electrochemiluminicence (ECL). These methods have been commonly used in the detection and quantification of biological agents with great sensitivity and specificity. However, these require expensive equipment, trained personnel and sample processing times of the order of 72 hr. For these reasons it is necessary to advance in the configuration of systems and diagnostic methods that improve in speed, cost and precision Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become a widely accepted analytical tool for the characterization of interfaces and thin films and for the study of superficial kinetic processes. One of the best known configurations to take advantage of the changes in surface plasmon in interfaces is the Kretschmann configuration in which the analytes under measurement are detected through the change in the resonance angle. The SPR causes a reduction in the intensity of the reflected light associated with a specific reflection angle. In this paper an autonomous system based on SPR for the detection and measurement of molecular agents released during neuronal excitation associated with neurodegenerative diseases by the study of molecular kinetics at the interface is presented. The system allows automatically register processes involved with molecular dynamics in neuronal biofilms.