SERS-Tags: Selective Immobilization and Detection of Bacteria by Strain-Specific Antibodies and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Efficient separation and sensitive identification of pathogenic bacterial strains is essential for a prosperous modern society, with direct applications in medical diagnostics, drug discovery, biodefense, and food safety. We developed a fast and reliable method for antibody-based selective immobilization of bacteria from suspension onto a gold-plated glass surface, followed by detection using strain-specific antibodies linked to gold nanoparticles decorated with a reporter molecule. The reporter molecules are subsequently detected by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Laser-based techniques: Novel tools for the identification and characterization of aged microplastics with developed biofilm.

Microplastics found in the environment are often covered with a biofilm, which makes their analysis difficult. Therefore, the biofilm is usually removed before analysis, which may affect the microplastic particles or lead to their loss during the procedure. In this work, we used laser-based analytical techniques and evaluated their performance in detecting, characterizing, and classifying pristine and aged microplastics with a developed biofilm.