Label-Free Exosome Detection Based on a Low-Cost Plasmonic Biosensor Array Integrated with Microfluidics

Localized surface plasmon resonance-based plasmonic biosensors are interesting candidates for the design of portable optical biosensor platforms owing to their integration, miniaturization, multiparameter, real-time, and label-free detection characteristics. Plasmonic biosensor arrays that have been combined with microfluidics have been developed herein to detect exosomes label-free. Gold nano-ellipsoid arrays were fabricated with low-cost anodic aluminum oxide thin films that act as shadow masks for evaporation of Au. The nano-ellipsoid arrays were integrated with a microfluidic chip to achieve multiparameter detection. The anti-CD63 antibody that is specific to the exosome transmembrane protein CD63 is modified on the surface of the nano-ellipsoids. Exosome samples were injected into the biosensor platform at different concentrations and detected successfully. The detection limit was 1 ng/mL. The proposed plasmonic biosensor array can be universally applicable for the detection of other biomarkers by simply changing the antibody on the surface of the Au nano-ellipsoids. Moreover, this biosensor platform is envisaged to be potentially useful in the development of low-cost plasmonic-based biosensors for biomarker detection and for the investigation of exosomes for noninvasive disease diagnoses.