Phys.org  September 26, 2023
Rapid, sensitive detection of biomolecules is important for biosensing of infectious pathogens as well as biomarkers and pollutants. Researchers in Japan have achieved rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antigen by enhancing the performance of optical biosensing based on optical frequency combs (OFC). The virus-concentration-dependent optical spectrum shift produced by antigen–antibody interactions was transformed into a photonic RF shift by a frequency conversion between the optical and RF regions in the OFC, facilitating rapid and sensitive detection with well-established electrical frequency measurements. The active-dummy temperature-drift compensation with a dual-comb configuration enabled the very small change in the virus-concentration-dependent signal to be extracted from the large, variable background signal caused by temperature disturbance. According to the researchers the improved performance of dual comb biosensing will greatly enhance the applicability of biosensors to viruses, biomarkers, environmental hormones, and so on… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Principle of operation for the biosensing OFC…. Credit: Scientific Reports, Volume 13, Article number: 14541 (2023)Â