Prospects for development of immunoassays based on surface plasmon resonance imaging

This work describes a possible approach for the development of a new class of optical immunoassays where nonspecific binding effects could be minimized. It is shown that under proper conditions it is possible to synthesize a surface with a pre-defined two-dimensional variation of immunoactivity. Following exposure to a positive sample, a contrast under surface plasmon resonance imaging of the surface would be indicative of a positive reaction. The degree of image contrast can be quantified and is a measure of the analyte concentration in solution. The approach minimizes nonspecific binding effects, and the principle can be extended for the development of immunoassays for large scale testing of complex biological samples.