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Whispering-gallery-mode biosensing: label-free detection down to single molecules

Nature Methods volume 5, pages 591–596 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Optical label-free detectors, such as the venerable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, are generally favored for their ability to obtain quantitative data on intermolecular binding. However, before the recent introduction of resonant microcavities that use whispering gallery mode (WGM) recirculation, sensitivity to single binding events had not materialized. Here we describe the enhancement mechanisms responsible for the extreme sensitivity of the WGM biosensor, review its current implementations and applications, and discuss its future possibilities.

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Figure 1: Concept of the WGM biosensor.
Figure 2: Model for estimating WGM biosensor layer sensitivity.
Figure 3: WGM resonator geometries.
Figure 4

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Acknowledgements

S.A. was supported by the US National Science Foundation grant BES-0522668, and F.V. was supported by a Rowland Junior Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rowland Institute, Harvard University, 100 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, 02142, Massachusetts, USA

    Frank Vollmer

  2. MicroParticle PhotoPhysics Lab (MP3L), Polytechnic University, 6 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, 11201, New York, USA

    Stephen Arnold

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Correspondence to Stephen Arnold.

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Vollmer, F., Arnold, S. Whispering-gallery-mode biosensing: label-free detection down to single molecules. Nat Methods 5, 591–596 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1221

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