The paper "Analyte capture in an array of functionalized droplets for a regenerable biosensor" published in BioMicroFluidics (AIP) by C.-L. Azzopardi, F. Chollet, J.-F. Manceau and W. Boireau, is a first step in a new paradigm in biosensing, where droplet are used as sensing surfaces.
Abstract:
We describe in this work an advanced microfluidic chip for the capture of bioanalyte on the surface of droplets arranged in a dense array. We show the procedure for generating, functionalizing, and arranging the droplets inside the device for capturing a specific bioanalyte. Then, we demonstrate the capacity of the array to capture analyte from a cross-flowing liquid, using a biotin/streptavidin model. The paper also proposes to use the droplets array, after integration with acoustic detection, as a regenerable detection interface for bioanalyte sensing. We model the arrangement of droplet in dense array and show that they present a larger effective capture surface and shorter capture distance than standard flat surface biosensor of the same footprint. As the droplets can be easily evacuated and replaced inside the device analysis chamber, the proposed biosensor would allow biointerface regeneration and chain measurement without dismounting the device.