Improved microarray sensitivity using photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence

Assays using fluorescent molecules have become popular tools across various life sciences disciplines because of their ability to localize and quantify relevant biomolecules such as DNA and proteins. Microarrays in particular have enabled researchers and clinicians to monitor gene expression and protein concentrations in a high-throughput fashion, providing valuable information about cellular and systemic function. Despite the proliferation of research on modifying fluorescence with optical resonances, there have been few evaluations of the practical impact of enhanced fluorescence on high-throughput biological assays such as microrarrays. This work details the application of photonic crystal (PC) surfaces as a platform for fluorescence enhancement. The enhancement properties of PCs are explored as a function of resonant wavelength, and these properties are applied to design a PC optimized to enhance fluorescence in a commercial microarray scanner. The impact of PC enhanced fluorescence on the sensitivity of a protein microarray is evaluated, demonstrating the assay detection limit is reduced by an order of magnitude for a cytokine biomarker. Finally, PCs are applied as substrates in a DNA microarray, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by one order of magnitude and increasing the number of genes identified as differentially expressed by a factor of >2x relative to glass slides.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Bioengineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2010

Author dc:creator

• Mathias, Patrick C.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cunningham, Brian T.
• Vodkin, Lila O.
• Wang, Yingxiao
• Zhong, Sheng

• enhanced fluorescence
• photonic crystal
• microarray
• biosensor

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2010 Patrick C. Mathias

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16027

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/16027