An ultrasensitive SERS sensing chip for the serum screening of psychiatric disorders

Serum levels of neurotransmitters and hormones are strongly associated with people's emotions and the progression of psychiatric disorders. However, identifying multiple trace emotional markers in serum remains challenging due to the presence of structurally similar interferents. Herein, we developed a biosensor based on SERS-microfluidic chips and arrayed nano substrates, which exhibited promising performance for emerging clinical applications. Experimental data demonstrates that nanostructured arrays prepared by microfluidics allowed for the simultaneous quantitative detection of three typical emotion markers (serotonin, dopamine, and cortisol). The measured limits of detection reached the aM level, whereas an extremely high interference immunity was demonstrated. Moreover, the sensor demonstrated excellent resolution (0.5 pM) in real blood samples. This strategy may shed light not only on precision medicine for mental illness, but also on other important diseases that require personal diagnostic tools. A SERS on-chip sensor was activated for ultra-sensitive and multivariate serum screening of psychiatric disorders by a microfluidic-based substrate patterning method.