Array biosensor for simultaneous identification of bacterial, viral, and protein analytes

The array biosensor was fabricated to analyze multiple samples simultaneous ly for multiple analytes. The sensor utilized a standard sandwich immunoass ay format: Antigen-specific "capture" antibodies were immobilized in a patt erned array on the surface of a planar waveguide and bound analyte was subs equently detected using fluorescent tracer antibodies. This study describes the analysis of 126 blind samples for the presence of three distinct class es of analytes. To address potential complications arising from using a mix ture of tracer antibodies in the multianalyte assay, three single-analyte a ssays were run in parallel with a multianalyte assay. Mixtures of analytes were also assayed to demonstrate the sensor's ability to detect more than a single species at a time. The array sensor was capable of detecting viral, bacterial, and protein analytes using a facile 14-min assay with sensitivi ty levels approaching those of standard ELISA methods. Limits of detection for Bacillus globigii, MS2 bacteriophage, and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) were 10(5) cfu/mL, 10(7) pfu/mL, and 10 ng/mL, respectively, The arra y biosensor also analyzed multiple samples simultaneously and detected mixt ures of the different types of analytes in the multianalyte format.