SURFACE-PLASMON RESONANCE STUDIES OF IMMUNOREACTIONS UTILIZING DISPOSABLE DIFFRACTION GRATINGS

The specificity of protein binding between immune-gamma globulin (IgG) and anti-IgG has been investigated by means of surface plasmon resona nce measurements, with a view to determining whether a perspex replica of a holographic diffraction grating can be used efficiently as the m omentum-coupling device. The replicas are easy to fabricate, of low co st, and may be useful as disposable sensing heads in a biosensor. The majority of all published work concerning surface-plasmon-based biosen sors has detailed the use of prisms as the momentum-coupling devices. Therefore, the relative advantages and disadvantages of both systems a re discussed in this paper, including a sensitive optical technique wh ich is beyond the scope of prism geometries.