Vitamin D testing by prototype optical waveguide using Smartphone

All-Optical Planar Polymer Waveguide-Based Biosensor Chip Designed for Smartphone-Assisted Detection of Vitamin D

Sensors 2020, 20(23), 6771; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236771

by Johanna-Gabriela Walter 1,Lourdes S. M. Alwis 2OrcID,Bernhard Roth 3,4OrcID and Kort Bremer 3,4,*

1 Institute of Technical Chemistry, Leibniz University of Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany

2 School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH10 5DT, UK

3 Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD, (Photonics, Optics, and Engineering—Innovation Across Disciplines), 30167 Hannover, Germany

4 Hannover Centre for Optical Technologies, Leibniz University of Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany

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An all-optical plasmonic sensor platform designed for smartphones based on planar-optical waveguide structures integrated in a polymer chip is reported for the first time. To demonstrate the applicability of the sensor system for biosensing purposes, the detection of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in human serum samples using an AuNP-enhanced aptamer-based assay was demonstrated. With the aid of the developed assay sensitivity of 0.752 pixel/nM was achieved for 25OHD concentrations ranging from 0–100 nM. The waveguide structure of the sensor enables miniaturisation and parallelisation, thus, demonstrates the potential for simultaneous detection of various analytes including biomarkers. The entire optical arrangement can be integrated into a single polymer chip which allows for large scale and cost-efficient sensor fabrication. The broad utilization and access of smartphone electronics make the proposed design most attractive for its wider use in lab-on-chip applications.