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Sensors and bio-sensorsWe investigate novel concepts for (bio)sensors leveraging our expertise in SOI nanophotonics. We perform research on sensors based on the surface plasmon resonance effect in nanostructured metals, and we are also interested in sensors based on resonant nanophotonic cavities.
Sensing of biomolecules is gaining interest due to its applications in many research areas; bacterial and virus detection, medical diagnostics, drug development, food and environmental control.
In recent years, there is a growing need for reliable quantitative detection methods for multiarray assays. Nowadays, typical detection systems use labelled antibodies (with radioactivity, enzymes or fluorescence). When such a labelled molecule binds to a surface, its presence can be detected using straightforward luminometry, fluorimetry, spectrometry, radiometry or confocal microscopy.
However, such an approach is far from ideal: labelling of biomolecules is an additional step which inevitably complicates the technique, reduces its versatility and the binding of the label to the biomolecule is not always equally efficient and depends on environmental factors.
Years of experience in integrated photonics and strong collaboration with the molecular biology group of Prof. Vandenabeele (UGent, VIB) and the polymer chemistry group of Prof. Schacht (UGent), will allow us to make integrated label-free optical sensors on a nano scale.
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