Optical Immunosensors Improve POC Diagnostics

Optical immunosensors are precise, fast, easy-to-use systems for point-of-care diagnostics in hospitals, physicians' practices, or in homecare.

Scientists have been working on the development of selective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for certain target structures and for use in immunosensors for some time. They have now succeeded in developing mAbs for procalcitonin (PCT), a specific marker for microbial infections and sepsis. Determination of PCT concentrations in serum is of significance, both for the early diagnosis of microbial infections and for controlling antibiotic treatment.

Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, biomolecular interactions between analytes in solution and antibodies immobilized on the surface of the sensor can be detected quickly, with high sensitivity, and without the otherwise required labeling of reaction partners.

SPR-based immunosensors are of interest for the detection of ligands in biomedical applications, in food, or in the environment. Dr. M. F. Gouzy, from the Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Center Munich (Munich, Germany), and colleagues have succeeded in developing a reusable SPR-based immunosensor, which is described in the February 2009 issue of the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Newly developed procalcitonin (PCT) antibodies from the rat were used successfully in the enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) in testing human serum for PCT. Some of these mAbs were marked with fluorescent dye and are presently being integrated by scientific groups in Germany and Italy into new optical immunosensors.

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