Rapid quantitative protein detection by light transmission spectroscopy

Appl Opt. 2019 Feb 1;58(4):1121-1127. doi: 10.1364/AO.58.001121.

Abstract

Rapid, sensitive, and quantitative protein detection is critical for many applications in medicine, environmental monitoring, and the food industry. Advancements in detection of proteins include the use of antigen-antibody binding; however, many current methods are time-consuming and have limiting factors such as low sensitivity and the inability to provide absolute values. We present a new high-throughput method for protein detection using light transmission spectroscopy (LTS), which can quantify and size nanoparticles in fluid suspension. LTS can quantify proteins directly and target specific proteins through antigen-antibody binding. This work shows that LTS can distinguish between and quantify bovine serum albumin, its antibody, and the BSA + Ab complex and determine BSA protein concentrations down to 5 μg/mL. We use both Mie and discrete dipole approximation models to provide geometric insight into the binding process.