Label-free and fluorescence photonic crystal biochips for early cancer biomarker detection

We report on the development of a biosensing platform that combines label-free and fluorescence based detection on disposable Bloch surface wave biochips. This system is applied to the detection of the HER2-neu/ErbB2 clinical biomarker related to breast cancer development. We first describe the design and fabrication of the BSW biochips as well as the principle of operation of the optical reading instrument. Then, the approaches for surface functionalization and immobilization of proteins for specific detection on the biochips are discussed. Finally, experimental results on a sandwich immunoassay for ErbB2 detection in cell lysates are presented.