Magnet Patterned Superparamagnetic Fe3O4/Au Core–Shell Nanoplasmonic Sensing Array for Label‐Free High Throughput Cytokine Immunoassay

A high‐throughput, label‐free, multiplex LSPR immunoassay based on a facile magnet assisted fabrication method for Fe₃O₄/Au core–shell nanoparticles (FACSNPs) microarrays is developed. By synergistically integrating both the superparamagnetic and nanoplasmonic properties of the FACSNPs, the microarray immunoassay for immune monitoring and its potential clinical applications toward personalized medicine is successfully demonstrated.

Abstract

Rapid and accurate immune monitoring plays a decisive role in effectively treating immune‐related diseases especially at point‐of‐care, where an immediate decision on treatment is needed upon precise determination of the patient immune status. Derived from the emerging clinical demands, there is an urgent need for a cytokine immunoassay that offers unprecedented sensor performance with high sensitivity, throughput, and multiplexing capability, as well as short turnaround time at low system complexity, manufacturability, and scalability. In this paper, a label‐free, high throughput cytokine immunoassay based on a magnet patterned Fe₃O₄/Au core–shell nanoparticle (FACSNP) sensing array is developed. By exploiting the unique superparamagnetic and plasmonic properties of the core–shell nanomaterials, a facile microarray patterning technique is established that allows the fabrication of a uniform, self‐assembled microarray on a large surface area with remarkable tunability and scalability. The sensing performance of the FACSNP microarray is validated by real‐time detection of four cytokines in complex biological samples, showing high sensitivity (≈20 pg mL⁻¹), selectivity and throughput with excellent statistical accuracy. The developed immunoassay is successfully applied for rapid determination of the functional immunophenotype of leukemia tumor‐associated macrophages, manifesting its potential clinical applications for real‐time immune monitoring, early cancer detection, and therapeutic drug stratification toward personalized medicine.

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