Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor Technology for Marine Toxin Analysis

Abstract

Marine biotoxins are diverse chemical compounds that are classified according to the acute symptoms that they present to humans and other mammals upon their ingestion within contaminated seafood. Biosensor technologies are analytical tools for the recognition and measurement of a target through its association with a biological component and physiochemical detector. Commercial surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors such as Biacore systems consist of three key components: the optical detector at the SPR interface, an interchangeable chip surface onto the optical interface, and an integrated micro uidic system with liquid handling systems operated by computer-driven software. A number of different types of binders have been exploited in the development of various methodologies for the detection of marine biotoxins. Antibodies unlike receptors are biochemical binders and bind selectively to chemical features on the structure of the toxin to which they are produced. Polyclonal antibodies tend to display better sensitivity due to multiple epitope binding.