High specificity THz metamaterial-based biosensor for label-free transcription factor detection in melanoma diagnostics.

In this work, we present a promising diagnostic tool for melanoma diagnosis. With the proposed terahertz biosensor, it was possible to selectively and sensitively detect the early growth response protein 2, a transcription factor with an increased activity in melanoma cells, from a complex sample of cellular proteins. Fundamentally, the sensor belongs to the frequency selective surface type metamaterials and consists of a two-dimensional array of asymmetrically, doubly split ring resonator unit cells. The single elements are slits in a metallic layer and are complemented by an undercut etch. This allows a selective functionalization of the active area of the sensor and increases the sensitivity towards the target analyte. Hereby, specific detection of a defined transcription factor is feasible.

Multifrequency Investigation of Single- and Double-Stranded DNA with Scalable Metamaterial-Based THz Biosensors.

Due to the occurrence of THz-excited vibrational modes in biomacromolecules, the THz frequency range has been identified as particularly suitable for developing and applying new bioanalytical methods. We present a scalable THz metamaterial-based biosensor being utilized for the multifrequency investigation of single- and double-stranded DNA (ssDNA and dsDNA) samples. It is demonstrated that the metamaterial resonance frequency shift by the DNA's presence depends on frequency. Our experiments with the scalable THz biosensors demonstrate a major change in the degree of the power function for dsDNA by 1.53 ± 0.06 and, in comparison, 0.34 ± 0.11 for ssDNA as a function of metamaterial resonance frequency. Thus, there is a significant advantage for dsDNA detection that can be used for increased sensitivity of biomolecular detection at higher frequencies. This work represents a first step for application-specific biosensors with potential advantages in sensitivity, specificity, and robustness.

Ultrasensitive THz biosensor for PCR-free cDNA detection based on frequency selective surfaces.

THz technologies are a powerful tool for label-free detection of biomolecules. However, significant reduction of the lower detection limit is required to apply THz-sensors in biomedical diagnosis. This paper reports an ultrasensitive THz-biosensor based on asymmetric double split ring resonators (aDSRR) for the direct label- and PCR-free detection of DNA at physiologically relevant concentrations. We introduce selective functionalization and localized electric field concentration to enhance aDSRR sensitivity and specificity. The sensor characteristics are demonstrated using the human tumor marker MIA in cDNA samples produced from total RNA without PCR-amplification. Measurements of DNA samples with concentrations as low as 1.55 × 10-12 mol/l are presented.