Enhanced Assay Performance through Size, Shape and Aggregate Characterization of SERS Nanotags

Nanoplex Technologies has developed a powerful new approach to optical detection tags based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). These glass-coated metal nanoparticles loaded with Raman reporter molecules have extraordinary attributes that make them ideal as biological detection tags. They are interrogated and detected in the near-IR, avoiding the background fluorescence associated with biological samples. Also, SERS nanotags cannot be bleached, allowing high laser powers and/or long integration times to be used, and thus leading to very low detection limits. By combining the unique resources of Nanoplex in nanoparticle fabrication and Professor Smith's group at Duke University in modeling and characterization methods, this Phase 1 STTR will investigate a variety of sizes and shapes of nanoparticles to determine the optimum composition for brightest, most uniform SERS nanotags. This technology will be of great benefit to the military, since it can be leveraged in a variety of assay systems allowing for highly sensitive, in-the-field detection of a variety of species, including biological weapons and toxins. At the completion of this project we will be in a position to design and fabricate optimized particles, and begin development of a lateral flow immunoassay for use by military personnel.