Pathogen Detection

Several research groups have used these new nanofabrication methods to produce highly sensitive and reproducible SERS substrates for biosensing applications. Studies have been conducted to evaluate SERS quantitatively as a biosensing method for pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Compared with some of the other pathogen detection techniques previously noted, SERS offers several advantages, including high sensitivity, type and species classification, the discrimination of subtle structural differences, and detection of differences in the nucleic acid profiles between species. We have recently demonstrated that Ag nanorod arrays, produced by oblique angle vapor deposition, offer several advantages for SERS pathogen biosensing applications. While the majority of our applications have been in the area of virus biosensing, we have also demonstrated similar capabilities for the detection of bacteria, as well as other agents including microRNAs, using these Ag nanorod arrays.