Biomarker Binding on an Antibody-Functionalized Biosensor Surface: The Influence of Surface Properties, Electric Field, and Coating Density

YH Zhou and W Hu and B Peng and YL Liu, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C, 118, 14586-14594 (2014).

DOI: 10.1021/jp501885p

Antibodies have been used as bioreceptors in biodiagnostic devices for decades, the performances of which are affected by various factors, such as orientation, density, and local environment. While there are extensive works on design and fabrication of various biosensors, little is known about the molecular level interactions between antibodies coated on sensor surfaces and biomarkers suspended in medium. In this work, a coarse-grained model for biomarkers binding on an antibody- functionalized biosensor surface is constructed to study the effects of surface properties and external parameters on antibody orientation and biomarkers binding time. The surface interaction type is found to significantly influence the antibody orientation and biomarker binding time. A proper electric field range is discovered to not only well- orient antibodies but also steer biomarkers toward the surface, consequently reducing the binding time of biomarkers by 2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, a suitable surface coating density of antibodies has been proposed to help antibody orientation as well as biomarker binding. These findings can be used for rational design of biosensors with higher efficiency and more sensitive detections.

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