Temperature control

as close as possible to biological interactions for biosensors

Biodetection based on the principle of surface plasmon resonance is one of the most accurate ways of detecting the presence of pathogens in a fluid.
Nonetheless, the temperature of the analyte under test must be very finely controlled so as not to interfere with the measurements. L'use of the collector surface as a thermoregulating element enables this control while simplifying its implementation, a decisive step towards the portability of detection systems ...

Biodetection based on the principle of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a highly sensitive biodetection technique currently reserved for analysis laboratories. It is a technique that does not label the target cells ('label free') contained in the analyte and whose detection specificity is linked to that of the probe cells grafted onto the sensor. The measurement principle is based solely on physical laws, in this case the technique precisely measures the optical index of any material or fluid in the very close vicinity (a few hundred nanometres) of the sensor surface. The sensor surface is made of a metal film with a nanometric thickness (a few tens of nanometres).
Both the molecular interaction involved and the optical index of the solution under test are extremely dependent on the temperature at which the measurement is taken. Temperature control is therefore necessary, and this complicates the system's implementation, currently depriving it of the portability of the measurement equipment.
As part of the INTERREG V France-Wallonie Flandres cross-border project BIOSENS aimed at developing portable equipment for the field detection of plant pathogens, the thin metal layer making up the SPR sensor was used as a thermoregulating element. Injecting a current into this metal film enables the temperature to be regulated very finely, as close as possible to the biomolecular interaction.

"Plasmonic layer as localized temperature control element for surface plasmonic resonance based sensors", S. Ganesan, S. Maricot, J-F. Robillard, E. Okada, M-T. Bakouche, L. Hay, J-P. Vilcot, Sensors, 21(6), 2035, https://doi.org/10.3390/s21062035

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