Work

Ultra-low limit of detection of a carcinoembryonic antigen fiber sensor based on microfiber

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Fiber optic sensors have been widely applied to address issues such as cardiovascular diseases, pathogen detection, and cancer biomarker detection. In this work, an ultra-low limit of detection, high-specificity, and label-free optical fiber biosensor for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A microfiber interferometer with refractive index sensitivity of up to 1915.955 nm/RIU was employed as the sensor head. The sensitivity of the sensor was further enhanced by the incorporation of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), which facilitated the immobilization of CEA antibodies as specific detection markers on the microfiber surface. Experimental results showed that the proposed sensor achieved a detection limit of 15.86 fg/mL. The sensitivity of the biosensor was 4.727 nm/log(mg/mL). Notably, this biosensor demonstrated excellent specificity and label-free operation and enabled the detection of low-concentration CEA in approximately 15 minutes. The proposed micro fiber CEA sensor provided a highly sensitive and low-cost method for the early diagnosis of cancer.

Source: Biomedical Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/boe.559885