A micro-fluidic chip comprises a chip base, a lens, and a securing portion. The chip base has a flow cell and a micro-fluidic channel defined therein. The micro-fluidic channel is fluidly connected to the flow cell to deliver fluid to and from the flow cell, respectively via a fluid input port and a fluid output port. The lens has an apex and a base. The apex is positioned within the flow cell. The securing portion is affixed to the chip base such that the lens is sandwiched between the chip base and the securing portion. The securing portion has a circular cavity defined therein in a surface adjacent the chip base, for receiving the base of the lens. The securing portion further has separate light input and output channels to allow light in and out, respectively, of the circular cavity and the lens.

A device and method for detecting and assessing the quantity of a biological, biochemical, or chemical analyte in a test sample using a simple light source and the naked eye are disclosed. In one embodiment, the device comprises a nanohole sensor chip with two sections, the first of which is a test section, upon which capture agents for a particular analyte are immobilized, and the second of which is a reference section, upon which capture agents conjugated with known quantities of the analyte are immobilized. In another embodiment of the invention, a nanohole sensor chip with a test section and a plurality of reference sections is disclosed. The sensor utilizes light intensity changes exhibited by Fano resonances in the nanoholes for detection of analytes, and allows comparison between the light intensity changes between the reference sections and the test sections for assessing the quantity of the analyte in the sample.

A detection method and a detection system for detecting objects of interest attached to a surface of a plurality of reporters, wherein the plurality of reporters are flowing in a microfluidic chip and illuminated by a light source. The detection method has following steps: obtaining a plurality of local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectral images of each the plurality of the reporters individually, wherein each of the LSPR spectral images has a brightness of a long wavelength band (B.sub.A) and a brightness of a short wavelength band (B.sub.B); calculating a spectral image brightness contrast γ for each of the LSPR spectral images, wherein

[00001]$\gamma =\frac{B_A-B_B}{B_A+B_B};$

and, defining a positive threshold for |γ|≥0.1.

The invention relates to an apparatus for probing a sample comprising a light source for emitting an illuminating light beam, a birefringent element for splitting the illuminating light beam into two sheared beams, a reflective element for reflecting the two sheared beams, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the reflected beams propagate through the birefringent element for recombining the reflected beams, and a detector for detecting the recombined beam, wherein the sample is arrangeable in the optical path of the sheared beams or at the backside of a reflective surface in the optical path of the sheared beams, the reflective surface exhibiting a surface plasmon resonance or a localized surface plasmon resonance.

Composite particles including nanoparticles dispersed in a matrix and their use in biologic assay. The nanoparticles selectively absorb or selectively emit light and have a size in at least one of its dimensions shorter than 20 nm. The weight fraction of the nanoparticles in the composite particles is greater than 0.5% and less than 50%, and the matrix of the composite particles is inorganic and includes less than 90% by weight of silica. Also, the composite particles are functionalized with a specific-binding component and have a mean size greater than 50 nm and less than 1000 nm.

Described are methods of determining a property of a sample, examples of sample properties that can be determined and provided using the methods described herein include, for example, the chirality of the analyte, the presence of chiral analyte, the circular dichroism of sample, the concentration of the analyte in the sample, or a combination thereof.

Provided herein are systems, devices and methods for the rapid and accurate measurement of analytes by assay of binding events, by direct, digital measurement of individually resolved analyte/reporter binding events. The digital molecular assay systems, devices and methods disclosed herein are capable of particle-by-particle readout using optical reporter molecules that detect and report the binding of a single analyte molecule, and report each such binding in binary format. Such digital molecular assay systems, devices and methods are useful in a variety of applications, such as on mobile electronic devices for use in the field.

A sensor arrangement performs simultaneous measurement of optical and electrical properties of a dielectric medium to be investigated, as well as the analytes contained therein. The arrangement contains a field-effect transistor and a surface plasmon resonance sensor. The sensor arrangement further contains a sample chamber for receiving the dielectric medium, which sample chamber is arranged such that the optical and electrical properties of the dielectric medium can be recorded simultaneously. The gate electrode of the field-effect transistor forms the active surface and/or is connected to the active surface of the surface plasmon resonance sensor, and has charge carriers which can be caused to oscillate by use of electromagnetic radiation.

An optical multimodal detection system for targeted detection of cancer biomarkers in blood serum. The system comprises of a nano-biosensor, a chamber for receiving the nano-biosensor, a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) based detector, a plasmon enhanced fluorescence (PEF) based detector and a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based detector. The nano-biosensor comprises of a glass substrate provided with an active site for receiving a sample of blood serum, and is dimensioned to define a flow channel for introducing the sample of blood serum into the nano-biosensor. The nano-biosensor is provided with a layer of amino-silane compound coating over the glass substrate and a plurality of gold nano-urchins (GNU) bound to the layer of silicone compound. The plurality of gold-nano-urchins are functionalized with a hydrazide linker molecule for allowing uniform-oriented conjugation of a F.sub.c region of antibodies to a surface of gold nano-urchins thereby allowing Fab regions of antibodies for binding with cancer biomarkers.

Embodiments are disclosed of an analyte detection system configured as an attachment to a smartwatch. The detection-system hardware can comprise, for example, a plasmonic sensor configured to attach to, and align with the smartwatch's optics (e.g., LED and detector).