Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Biosensors and Their Applications

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor and Bioelectronic Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 2355

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: surface plasmon resonance; biosensing; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS); disease diagnostics; exosomes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) refers to the quasi-particles of the collective oscillation of electrons and photons (electromagnetic waves) at metal–dielectric interfaces. SPR produces intense localized electromagnetic fields, leading to superior detection sensitivity. Various SPR-based methods have been shown to be information-rich tools for analyzing biological materials, with some offering exceedingly high sensitivity at the single-molecule level, and others enabling label-free, non-destructive, and in situ observation of various biological processes. SPR has also been shown to immobilize suspended entities such as biomolecules, akin in its underlying physics to the well-known optical tweezers.

Significant advances have been made over the past several decades in biomedical diagnostics, drug discovery, food safety, environmental monitoring, and beyond. Of special interest is subjects such as sensitivity beyond current detection limits to include subtleties such as secondary and tertiary conformational differences in proteins, the challenge of single-molecule/single-vesicle detection with sufficiently high throughput to ensure statistical significance, and the fundamental trade-offs between the ability to observe biological processes in situ at the single-molecule level (such as protein–protein interactions) and the unavoidable disturbance to the object under observation (such as denaturing proteins).

This Special Issue aims to provide a communication platform for researchers and technologists in this promising sub-field of research straddling biology, physics, and engineering, and to serve as a repository of information on the pertinent aspects of engineering and technology development, as well as cases of successful (or not so successful) applications. Ultimately, we hope to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and drive forward the continued growth of this exciting and bourgeoning field.

Prof. Dr. Ya-Hong Xie
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • surface plasmon resonance
  • nano-structures
  • biosensing
  • drug discovery
  • food safety
  • environmental monitoring
  • biomarker discovery
  • diagnostic
  • proteomics
  • single-molecule detection
  • machine learning
  • protein folding
  • label-free
  • plasmonic tweezers
  • sensitivity
  • specificity

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1507 KB  
Article
SERS-Based Immunoassay for α-Fetoprotein Biomarker Detection Using an Au-Ag Nanostars Platform
by Josué Ismael García-Ramírez, Marcos Luna-Cervantes, Irma Yadira Izaguirre-Hernández, Julián Hernández-Torres, Enrique Juárez-Aguilar, Pablo Thomas-Dupont, José María Remes-Troche and Luis Zamora-Peredo
Biosensors 2025, 15(9), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15090632 - 22 Sep 2025
Viewed by 631
Abstract
Spiky Au-Ag nanostars offer intense plasmonic enhancement due to their sharp-tipped morphology, enabling powerful surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Here, we report a liquid-phase SERS platform that addresses current limitations in cancer biomarker detection, such as low sensitivity and dependence on Raman reporters. Nanostar [...] Read more.
Spiky Au-Ag nanostars offer intense plasmonic enhancement due to their sharp-tipped morphology, enabling powerful surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Here, we report a liquid-phase SERS platform that addresses current limitations in cancer biomarker detection, such as low sensitivity and dependence on Raman reporters. Nanostar concentration was tuned by simple centrifugation (10, 30, and 60 min), and their SERS performance was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as probe molecules. Signal intensity scaled with nanostar content, enabling sensitive detection. Optimized nanostars were functionalized with MPA, 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino1-Ethyl-3-(3dimethylaminopropyl1) carbodiimide (EDC), and N-Hydroxy succinimide (NHS) for covalent attachment of monoclonal anti-α-fetoprotein antibodies (AFP-Ab), facilitating the detection of AFP antigens across 167–38 ng/mL (antibody) and 500–0 ng/mL (antigen) ranges. The limit of detection (LOD) for the antigens was determined to be 16.73 ng/mL. Unlike conventional SERS systems, this aqueous, surfactant-free platform exploits the intrinsic vibrational modes of AFP, enabling sensitive and rapid biomarker detection with strong potential for early cancer diagnostics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Biosensors and Their Applications)
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10 pages, 2418 KB  
Article
A New Approach to Examine Cell–Antibody Avidity with Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging
by Richard B. M. Schasfoort, Elise van Doorn, Jos van Weperen, Anouk Mentink and Ruchi Bansal
Biosensors 2025, 15(9), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15090559 - 25 Aug 2025
Viewed by 783
Abstract
In recent years, avidity has emerged as a critical parameter in antibody design, yet most current analytical instruments are limited to measuring affinity alone. This study aims to evaluate the capabilities and advantages of a novel surface plasmon resonance imaging instrument, CellVysion, designed [...] Read more.
In recent years, avidity has emerged as a critical parameter in antibody design, yet most current analytical instruments are limited to measuring affinity alone. This study aims to evaluate the capabilities and advantages of a novel surface plasmon resonance imaging instrument, CellVysion, designed to quantify cell–antibody avidity using a continuous antibody density gradient. A key feature of this approach is the identification of a “tipping point”—the specific ligand density, measured in µRIUs, at which cells remain bound to the sensor surface under defined shear flow conditions. In this paper, we present the technical principles and application of this method, demonstrating how avidity can be quantitatively assessed across different antibody–cell line combinations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Biosensors and Their Applications)
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22 pages, 4664 KB  
Article
Numerical Study of a Novel Kagome-Inspired Photonic Crystal Fiber-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for Detection of Blood Components and Analytical Targets
by Ayushman Ramola, Amit Kumar Shakya, Ali Droby and Arik Bergman
Biosensors 2025, 15(8), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15080539 - 15 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 679
Abstract
This numerical study introduces a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensor utilizing a kagome lattice-inspired hollow core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for the highly sensitive detection of various blood biomarkers and analytical components. The sensor is designed to detect key blood biomarkers such as [...] Read more.
This numerical study introduces a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensor utilizing a kagome lattice-inspired hollow core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for the highly sensitive detection of various blood biomarkers and analytical components. The sensor is designed to detect key blood biomarkers such as water, glucose, plasma, and hemoglobin (Hb), as well as analytical targets including krypton, sylgard, ethanol, polyacrylamide (PA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA), by monitoring shifts in the resonance wavelength (RW). A dual-polarization approach is employed by analyzing both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) modes. The proposed sensor demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving maximum wavelength sensitivities (Sw) of 18,900 nm RIU−1 for TM pol. and 16,800 nm RIU−1 for TE pol. Corresponding peak amplitude sensitivities (SA) of 71,224 RIU−1 for TM pol. and 58,112 RIU−1 for TE pol. were also observed. The peak sensor resolution (SR) for both modes is on the order of 10−6 RIU, underscoring its high precision. Owing to its enhanced sensitivity, compact design, and robust dual-polarization capability, the proposed biosensor holds strong promise for point-of-care diagnostics and real-time blood component analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Biosensors and Their Applications)
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