Graphene Oxide-Sensitized Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Biosensor analysis based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon enables label-free, highly sensitive analyte detection without prior sample purification or processing. However, potential applications of SPR biosensors in virus detection in biological samples remain to be explored. Owing to its excellent biocompatibility and abundance of hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used as a biosensor of proteins and metal ions in living cells. The present work explored the effect of GO modification on the sensitivity of an SPR biosensor and used a GO-modified sensor to detect porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in cell culture, as shown. The GO modification markedly enhanced the sensitivity of the Fourier transform SPR sensor and enabled linear detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) with a multiplicity of infection in the range 0.2–1.7 (R(2) = 0.998). Such a GO-modified sensor provides a promising alternative for virus detection.