Biospecific Interaction Analysis in Real Time Using a Biosensor System with Surface Plasmon Resonance Detection

Abstract

All biological molecules express their function through interactions with other molecules. Characterization of these interactions is therefore of fundamental interest in many areas of biological research and biotechnological development. A promising area of development in biospecific interaction analysis is the use of biosensors to detect and measure interactions in real time. A biosensor may be defined as an instrument that combines a biological recognition mechanism with a sensing device or transducer (Ngwainbi, 1990).The transducer generates a measurable signal in response to the specific recognition process. This chapter describes a system using flow injection technology combined with a biosensor based on the optical phenomenon surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for detection of biospecific interactions. SPR detection as described here allows monitoring of the interactions as they occur. SPR has previously been applied to concentration analysis of biomolecules (Liedberg et al.,1983) and for monitoring of immunocomplex formation (Flanagan et al.,1984, Cullen et al.,1987, Daniels et al., 1988, Kooyman et al ., 1988).