Label-free biosensing using a microring resonator integrated with poly-(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic channels

Abstract

Microring resonators have shown promising potential for highly sensitive, label-free, real-time detection of biomolecules. Accurate quantitative detection of target molecules through use of photonic integrated circuits has been demonstrated for environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics. Here, we described the design, fabrication, and characterization of a highly sensitive, label-free microring optical resonator integrated with poly-(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic channels, which consumes only 30 μl of sample solution. The resonance wavelength shifts resulting from the change in the effective refraction index can be measured in situ, and thus the binding events on the resonator surface, including antibody immobilization, blocking of the resonator surface, and the specific binding of antibody and antigen, can be recorded throughout the entire experimental process in real time. We measured the binding events for the detection of human immunoglobulin G. The system had a detection limit of 0.5 μg/ml, a value substantially (14 times) lower than that of a previously reported microring resonator. To verify the usefulness and adaptability of this technique, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was used for the detection. The microring optical resonator was able to monitor reactions between biological molecules in real time and thus can be used in quantitative detection and biological sensing with little sample consumption.