Advancing SPRi measurements with novel biosensors for studying surface-biomolecule interactions

Through years of scientific research and development, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become a sensitive, quantitative and rapid measurement method with abundant applications in the fields of biology and biomaterials. The present contribution provides a brief overview of SPR history, development of SPR imaging and expanding sensor platforms while also briefly reviewing their many applications. We supplement these discussions with the introduction of new biosensor platforms for SPR imaging 1) composed of the primary mineral component in bone, hydroxyapatite (HA) and 2) tyrosine-derived polycarbonates which are utilized in many biomedical applications. These biosensors are completed with microfluidic flow channels to facilitate kinetic measurements. We describe the fabrication of the multilayer sensor surfaces and also demonstrate surface plasmon generation. We also highlight the utility and potential of these sensor platforms to characterize the binding kinetics of small peptides, engineered to bind specifically to these materials in order to facilitate development of new probes and modifiers for biomaterials.