All-FIber seNsor for optIcal deTection of analYtes (AFINITY)
2025-05-16 10:55
Project goal: The goal of this Project is to develop a biosensor based on optical fibers using a simple fabrication method and explore the possibility of measuring analytes in simulated (artificial) biological fluids for a non-invasive analysis
Project description: Project description: For contemporary biological applications, such as the detection of biomarkers, biosensors are developing into a highly effective and crucial diagnostic and analytical tool. Measuring biomarkers in secreted human physiological fluids such as urine or tear using these tools is a non-invasive way of diagnosis which has a potential to become a promising healthcare technology convenient for both the patient and healthcare professionals. Using optical fiber as a transducer in a biosensor offers such advantages as having low limit of detection, low cost, chemical inertness, wide range of surface modification techniques that can be applied and the potential to be used for remote sensing. But often high complexity of the optical design (interferometric or grating-like resonant structures) that are difficult to fabricate and nearly impossible to replicate repeatedly into an industrial process, are the main barriers to the widespread application of optical fiber technology in the clinical settings. Building all-fiber transducers having no complicated architectures produced by a simplified fabrication process is thus an important task
Expexted results: - Developed fiber optic sensors - Results of investigation of sensitivity of the sensors to refractive index change - Synthesized and characterized nanoparticles - Fiber optic sensors functionalized with ligands specific to biomarker - Results of the analysis of surface functionalization - Results of measuring biomarker levels in artificial biological fluid and/or serum using the biosensor - Results of specificity studies of biosensor - Final report
Methodology: Fiber optic splicing, Optical Backscatter Reflectometry, Sensor interrogation, Silanization, AFM (Atomic Force Microscope), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), XRD (X-ray Diffraction), Raman Spectroscopy, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry).