Parallel SPR diagnostic system

We report on the development of a highly sensitive and cost efficient analysis system based on surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The advantage of our system consists of optical components being integrated into the sensor element. These enable the uncritical optical coupling and, therefore, a simplified handling of the sensor plates without additional optical adjustment. Manufacture by hot embossing or injection molding allows for a low cost production of disposable sensor elements. Furthermore, up to 50 measurement spots are arranged in parallel on a sensor plate to simultaneously detect a multitude of different substances. The range of analytes to be determined is only limited by the specific affinity of the immobilized capture molecules on the sensor surface. Optimized protein capture molecules for use in medical diagnosis chips have to be developed for this purpose. The label free detection principle simplifies the probe preparation and leads to a cost reduction compared with common fluorescence techniques. The development of a sensor element containing a number of parallel measurement spots sufficient for a medically significant screening of relevant parameters in blood samples or other body fluids as well as the reliable detection of characteristic virus proteins will be shown in this paper.