Novel sensor architecture for high-throughput and high-sensitivity biomolecular interaction analysis

Traditional label-free sensors for biomolecular interaction sensing suffer from two principal shortcomings: poor sensitivity vis-a-vis labeled techniques, and limited throughput. To overcome these shortcomings, we developed a novel sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon. The sensor can detect up to 110 simultaneous independent interactions at 10 Hz with a root-mean-square noise level of 2.6 times 10-8 RIU/Hz05. This noise level is lower than that of any commercial SPR instrument, even those offering minimal or no multiplexing. Using simple software controls, the user can improve the sensitivity further by reducing the available measurement range or level of multiplexing.