This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to develop affordable, highly sensitive instrumentation for detection of biomolecular interactions without the need for labeling. Although many methods are available for detecting biomolecular interactions, most require that one of the molecules involved be labeled. Such labeling may inadvertantly alter the natural binding properties of the molecules. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instruments detect molecular binding in the absence of fluorescent or other labels. However, some applications of SPR are limited by the method's sensitivity or its throughput: SPR imaging instruments use light of one wavelength to analyze multiple molecular interaction sites on a biochip simultaneously, thereby improving throughput; Fourier-Transform Infrared SPR (FT-SPR) instruments measure SPR of a single molecular interaction at multiple wavelengths, thereby increasing sensitivity of detection. Combining the multiple-site detection capabilities of SPR imagers with the wavelength scanning capabilities of FT-SPR instruments should improve both sensitivity and throughput in a single instrument. This project aims to design, assemble and test a prototype irFT-SPR imaging instrument. The commercial application of this project will be broadly useful in markets such as the detection of bioterrorism agents, drug discovery, forensics, and crop improvement. The instrument would reduce costs compared with competing detection techniques while bringing the label-free benefits of SPR to these commercial applications
