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Sub-wavelength diameter holes in thin metal layers can exhibit remarkable optical features that make them highly suitable for (bio)sensing applications. Either as efficient light scattering centers for surface plasmon excitation or metal-clad optical waveguides, they are able to form strongly localized optical fields that can effectively interact with biomolecules and/or nanoparticles on the nanoscale. As the metal of choice, aluminum exhibits good optical and electrical properties, is easy to manufacture and process and, unlike gold and silver, its low cost makes it very promising for commercial applications. However, aluminum has been scarcely used for biosensing purposes due to corrosion and pitting issues. In this short review, we show our recent achievements on aluminum nanohole platforms for (bio)sensing. These include a method to circumvent aluminum degradation--which has been successfully applied to the demonstration of aluminum nanohole array (NHA) immunosensors based on both, glass and polycarbonate compact discs supports--the use of aluminum nanoholes operating as optical waveguides for synthesizing submicron-sized molecularly imprinted polymers by local photopolymerization, and a technique for fabricating transferable aluminum NHAs onto flexible pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, which could facilitate the development of a wearable technology based on aluminum NHAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of effective array biosensors relies heavily on careful control of the density of surface-immobilized ligands on the transducing platform. In this paper we describe the synthesis of new dextran-lipase conjugates for use in immobilizing low molecular weight haptens onto glass planar waveguides for immunosensor development. The conjugates were synthesized by immobilizing bacterial thermoalkalophilic lipases (Geobacillus thermocatenulatus lipase 2, BTL2) on agarose macroporous beads, followed by covalent coupling to dextran networks of variable molecular weight (1500-40000). The chimeras were immobilized via nonspecific hydrophobic interactions onto glass planar waveguides modified with 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane to obtain highly ordered and homogeneous molecular architectures as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Microcystin LR (MCLR) was covalently bound to the dextran-BTL2 conjugates. The usefulness of this approach in immunosensor development was demonstrated by determining amounts of MCLR down to a few picograms per liter with an automated array biosensor and evanescent wave excitation for fluorescence measurements of attached DyLight649-labeled secondary antibody. Modifying BTL2 with dextrans of an increased molecular weight (>6000) provided surfaces with an increased loading capacity that was ascribed to the production of three-dimensional surfaces by the effect of analyte binding deep in the volume, leading to expanded dynamic ranges (0.09-136.56 ng L-1), lower limits of detection (0.007 ± 0.001 ng L-1), and lower IC50 values (4.4 ± 0.7 ng L-1). These results confirm the effectiveness of our approach for the development of high-performance biosensing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics are a class of pharmaceuticals that are of great interest due to the large volumes of these substances that are consumed in both human and veterinary medicine, and due to their status as the agents responsible for bacterial resistance. They can be present in foodstuffs and in environmental samples as multicomponent chemical mixtures that exhibit a wide range of mechanisms of action. Moreover, they can be transformed into different metabolites by the action of microorganisms, as well as by other physical or chemical means, resulting in mixtures with higher ecotoxicities and risks to human health than those of the individual compounds. Therefore, there is growing interest in the availability of multiclass methods for the analysis of antimicrobial mixtures in environmental and food samples at very low concentrations. Liquid chromatography (LC) has become the technique of choice for multiclass analysis, especially when coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and tandem MS (LC-MS2). However, due to the complexity of the matrix, in most cases an extraction step for sample clean-up and preconcentration is required before analysis in order to achieve the required sensitivities. This paper reviews the most recent developments and applications of multiclass antimicrobial determination in environmental and food matrices, emphasizing the practical aspects of sample preparation for the simultaneous extraction of antimicrobials from the selected samples. Future trends in the application of LC-MS-based techniques to multiclass antibiotic analysis are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel microfluidic cartridge for an optical sensor has been designed and fabricated. • Rotary valve has been implemented for an autonomous fluid delivery system. • Detection of Irgarol 1051 and Tetracycline, as proof of concept, accomplishing EU legislation. • Optical and data acquisition integration in aMZI sensor for on-line monitoring. We have developed a photonic nano-immunosensor platform for the on-site analysis of harmful organic ocean pollutants, intended to be allocated in stand-alone buoys. The main aim is bringing the monitoring tools directly to the contaminated place, resulting in cost and time savings as compared to the standard analytical techniques. As sensor we have employed an integrated asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer (aMZI) of micro/nano dimensions, based on silicon photonic technology. In order to obtain a multiplexed system, a four-channel microfluidic cell has been designed, manufactured and incorporated in the miniaturized sensor. Additionally, a microfluidic delivery module enabling automatic sample analysis has been designed, evaluated and assembled. Moreover, we have implemented the optical interconnections of the sensor chip by fiber optics, as well the electronics and the required software and data processing. Pollutant detection is based on a competitive immunoassay using bioreceptors previously biofunctionalized on the aMZI sensor arms and incubation with a specific antibody. As proof of concept, two types of pollutants have been analysed: the biocide Irgarol 1051, and the antibiotic Tetracycline. Results show limits of detection in the range of few ng/mL, accomplished the European legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of environmental monitoring has experienced a substantial progress in the last years but still the on-site control of contaminants is an elusive problem. In addition, the growing number of pollutant sources is accompanied by an increasing need of having efficient early warning systems. Several years ago biosensor devices emerged as promising environmental monitoring tools, but their level of miniaturization and their fully operation outside the laboratory prevented their use on-site. In the last period, nanophotonic biosensors based on evanescent sensing have emerged as an outstanding choice for portable point-of-care diagnosis thanks to their capability, among others, of miniaturization, multiplexing, label-free detection and integration in lab-on-chip platforms. This review covers the most relevant nanophotonic biosensors which have been proposed (including interferometric waveguides, grating-couplers, microcavity resonators, photonic crystals and localized surface plasmon resonance sensors) and their recent application for environmental surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]