ARS | Publication request: Label-free virus detection using silicon photonic microring resonators

Submitted to: Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 25, 2011
Publication Date: January 15, 2012
Citation: McClellan, M.S., Domier, L.L., Bailey, R.C. 2012. Label-free virus detection using silicon photonic microring resonators. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 31:338-392.

Interpretive Summary: Viruses represent a continual threat to humans through a number of mechanisms, which include disease, bioterrorism, and destruction of both plant and animal food resources. Many contemporary techniques used for the detection of viruses and viral infections suffer from limitations such as the need for extensive sample preparation or the lengthy window between infection and measurable immune response, for serological methods. In this manuscript, we report the application of silicon photonic microring resonators for the direct, label-free detection of intact viruses in both purified samples as well as in crude plant sap. To test the utility of the system, we demonstrated the quantitative detection of very low concentrations (10 ng/mL) of Bean pod mottle virus, an agronomically important pathogen of soybean. These experiments showed that silicon photonic microring resonators are a promising analytical tool for viral detection. These experiments will be of interest to other researchers who are interested in developing rapid and highly sensitive detection methods for viruses of plants and/or animals.

Technical Abstract: Viruses represent a continual threat to humans through a number of mechanisms, which include disease, bioterrorism, and destruction of both plant and animal food resources. Many contemporary techniques used for the detection of viruses and viral infections suffer from limitations such as the need for extensive sample preparation or the lengthy window between infection and measurable immune response, for serological methods. In this manuscript we report the application of silicon photonic microring resonators for the direct, label-free detection of intact viruses in both purified samples as well as in a complex, real world analytical matrix. As a model system, we demonstrate the quantitative detection of Bean pod mottle virus, a pathogen of great agricultural importance, with a limit of detection of 10 ng/mL. This, coupled with the inherent scalability and multiplexing capability of the semiconductor-based technology, position silicon photonic microring resonators as a promising analytical tool for a number of viral detection applications.