Development of robust and standardized cantilever sensors based on biotin/NeutrAvidin coupling for antibody detection.

A cantilever-based protein biosensor has been developed providing a customizable multilayer platform for the detection of antibodies. It consists of a biotin-terminated PEG layer pre-functionalized on the gold-coated cantilever surface, onto which NeutrAvidin is adsorbed through biotin/NeutrAvidin specific binding. NeutrAvidin is used as a bridge layer between the biotin-coated surface and the biotinylated biomolecules, such as biotinylated bovine serum albumin (biotinylated BSA), forming a multilayer sensor for direct antibody capture.

Nanomechanical cantilever sensors as a novel tool for real-time monitoring and characterization of surface layer formation.

Nanomechanical cantilevers are small and thin, microfabricated silicon beams. They serve as extremely sensitive mechanical sensors, which transform processes occurring at their surface into a mechanical response. This unique signal transduction principle allows to measure surface stress occurring at the cantilever surface by monitoring the bending of the cantilever (static mode) while at the same time observing changes in the oscillation properties of the cantilever related to changes in mass load on the cantilever (dynamic mode).