The present disclosure relates generally to a sensor chip and methods for the detection of an analyte. In particular, the disclosure relates to a sensor chip for detecting an analyte in a subject suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. The sensor chip comprises a conductive layer on a membrane support layer, wherein a plurality of apertures extend through the conductive layer and the membrane support layer and are arranged such that illumination of the conductive layer and/or the membrane support layer produces a surface plasmon resonance.

A digital assay for a micro RNA (miRNA) or other target analyte in a sample makes use of nanoparticles that absorb light at the resonant wavelength of a photonic crystal (PC). Such nanoparticles locally quench the resonant reflection of light from the PC when present on the surface of the PC. The nanoparticles are functionalized to specifically bind to the target analyte, and the PC surface is functionalized to specifically bind to the nanoparticles that have bound to the target analyte. The sample is exposed to the functionalized nanoparticles, and the individual nanoparticles bound to the PC surface can be identified and counted based on reduced intensity values in the reflected light from the PC. The number of bound nanoparticles that are counted in this way can be correlated to the abundance of the target analyte in the sample.

Provided is a nanoplasmonic sensor and a kit for biomolecule analysis, and a method of analyzing a biomolecule using the same. The method includes: providing the nanoplasmonic sensor including a dielectric grating extending in one direction, and a metal structure disposed to cover an upper surface and a side surface of the dielectric grating and have at least one bent portion; immobilizing a first probe molecule on a surface of the metal structure; hybridizing an analyte with the first probe molecule by introducing the analyte having a base sequence complementary to the first probe molecule; binding a second probe molecule that is hybridized with the first probe molecule to the analyte; binding an enzyme to the second probe molecule; introducing a substrate that reacts with the enzyme to produce a precipitate by an enzymatic reaction; and measuring localized surface plasmon resonance in the metal structure.

A surface plasmonic sensing device (10) comprises a substrate (12) and a first array (20) and a second array (22) of localised surface plasmon resonance island structures (20, 22) on the substrate (12). The surface plasmon resonance island structures (20, 22) of the first (20) and second (22) array respectively have first and second surface functionalisation for selective interaction with respective analytes. The first surface functionalisation is different to the second surface functionalisation. The first (20) and second (22) arrays are interspersed with each other to provide a composite array in a main sensing region (14) of the device (10). Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing a surface plasmonic sensing device (10) and a method of analysing a fluid comprising a mixture of two or more analytes. The surface plasmonic sensing device (10) may further comprise a reference region (16) and an auxiliary sensing region (18).

An electro-plasmonic array is disclosed. The electro-plasmonic array includes a substrate and a plurality of nanoantennas disposed on a surface of the substrate, each of the electro-plasmonic nanoantennas including a conductive nanodisk and a conforming biocompatible electrochromic polymer layer.

An analyzing system is provided. The analyzing system includes a fluid container defining a sample chamber where a sample is contained in the sample chamber, and a sensor including a transparent body with a reverse face and an obverse face where the obverse face having a nanostructured surface. The nanostructured surface includes a plurality of elongate nanostructures having a respective longitudinal axis that is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the obverse face. The analyzing system includes an excitation and detection apparatus that includes an excitation source for generating a beam of polarized radiation and a corresponding radiation detector where the sensor is coupled to the fluid container such that the nanostructured surface is exposed to the sample chamber, to the sample located therein.

Detection system for detecting at least one extracellular vesicle in a microfluid, including a broadband light source, collimating and focusing optics, a spectrophotometer, a microfluid apparatus and an active sensing element positioned inside the microfluid apparatus, the active sensing element including a substrate, a thin metal layer deposited on the substrate and a dielectric waveguide layer deposited on the metal layer, the light source generating at least one incident beam of light in the near infrared region, the metal layer and the waveguide layer each include a plurality of waveguides, the collimating optics collimates the incident beam of light on the substrate via the coupler, the focusing optics receives at least one reflection of the incident beam of light and provides the reflection to the spectrophotometer, the active sensing element causes surface plasmon waves in the microfluid when the microfluid is injected into the microfluid apparatus and the spectrophotometer detects resonance wavelength shifts in the reflection according to the surface plasmon waves thereby detecting the presence of the extracellular vesicle in the microfluid.

A fluidic apparatus for detection of a chemical substance, a biosensor, and a method of fabricating the fluidic apparatus. The fluidic apparatus includes a fluidic structure arranged to receive a sample containing a target substance, and a trapping structure, in fluid communication with the fluidic structure and arranged to immobilize the target substance in a detection region, wherein the detection region of the trapping structure is arranged to alter a physical characteristic of an incident light signal which represents a concentration of the target substance contained in the sample.

An electronic device for assessing a state of a product likely to transform by emission of volatile organic compounds includes olfactory sensors, designed to provide signals representative of a presence of volatile organic compounds in the ambient air close to the product, and a processor for processing the provided signals to obtain a signature representative of the state of the product. It further includes a memory for storing a reference signature, representative of an exposure of the olfactory sensors to a reference humid environment in which the product is not present, and a computer which computes a similarity value for similarity between the signature representative of the state of the product and the reference signature, to provide a product transformation index value from the computed similarity value.

NAzyme activity surface plasmon resonance sensors include a first DNA probe that is covalently connected to a sensing surface, and a second DNA probe that is covalently connected to a nanoparticle or a nanoparticle cluster. The first DNA probe and the second DNA probe are ligated together to provide a selected single strand DNA probe connected to the sensing surface and the nanoparticle. The single strand DNA probe includes a ligation zone within a selected NAzyme substrate. The sensor measures DNAzyme activity by NAzyme binding at the NAzyme substrate and cleavage at the ligation zone. Fiber optic surface plasmon resonance sensor tips are adapted to measure activity of a NAzyme when the NAzyme substrate is recognized by the selected NAzyme through hybridization and the metallic nanoparticle is released from the sensor by cleavage of the single strand DNA at the ligation zone by the selected NAzyme.