A label-free fiber optic SPR biosensor for specific detection of C-reactive protein

A highly sensitive and label-free fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for specific detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) is proposed and demonstrated. We take dopamine as a cross-linking agent to immobilize the anti-CRP monoclonal antibody, which is an efficient and simple method for specific modification of the fiber optic SPR sensor. The modified sensor can successfully detect CRP specifically. We realize the fabrication of a disposable fiber optic SPR sensor for the CRP specific detection. Through optimizing the immobilization time of anti-CRP monoclonal antibody and the reaction time of antigen and antibody experimentally, the sensor shows a satisfactory linear response (R(2) = 0.97) to CRP concentration within the range from 0.01 to 20 μg/ml. Moreover, the highest CRP sensitivity is obtained at 1.17 nm per lg (μg/ml). With the advantages of simple structure and easy fabrication, our sensor is convenient to be batch produced and controlled with good consistency, which is especially suitable for the fabrication of disposable biosensor. It makes sense that our detection can effectively avoid the cross pollution caused by repeated use of the sensor.