Optic fiber-based immunosensor for the rapid and sensitive detection of hepatitis C virus in serum

Abstract

A compact and portable all-fiber evanescent wave immunosensor was developed for the sensitive on-site detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV). In this system, HCV antigen was coated onto the surface of the fiber probe. The evanescent wave generated at the surface of the probe excited the fluorescent molecules bound to the surface through antibody–antigen reactions and a small part of the excited fluorescent signal coupled back into the fiber immunosensor. The performance of the fiber biosensor was compared with that of conventional ELISA using serial dilutions of HCV-positive serum. The sensitivity of the fiber biosensor system was slightly better than that of ELISA, and the detection took only 10 min. The fiber probes could also be reused many times with very little performance loss.