A novel, microstructured, polymer-based metal enhance fluorescence (MEF) substrate using established industrial molding and coating processes derived from Blu-ray disc manufacturing for the use in ultra-sensitive fluorescence immunoassays

The quantification of serum biomarkers have become an essential part of modern medical science. As these are often present only in very small amounts, there is a permanent need for raising the sensitivity of the assay methods to increase reliability of study results.

Metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is a promising technology to deliver such highly sensitive tests. MEF is based on the electromagnetic interaction of excitation light with nanometre-sized metal structures, which dramatically increases the quantum yield of fluorescent molecules in the immediate vicinity of the metal structures. This increase in light yield can be used to generate highly sensitive biomarker tests. Successful commercialization of clinical tests based on MEF depend on highly reproducible manufacturing of the required nano-metal structures and development of suitable bioassays for that platform. FIANOSTICS and Sony DADC BioSciences have developed such a new MEF platform and bioassays for clinical research which are compatible to any given assay format (e.g. microtiter plate, microfluidic chips, arrays or lateral flow devices etc.) using Sony DADC's established industrial processes.

Here we present initial data on a microstructured polymer based substrate which receives its metal layer using industrially established sputtering processes. Initial results using this substrate indicate that this novel MEF platform has an increase in sensitivity up to one order of magnitude compared to a colloid-silver based reference system.

The advantage of the invention is that the highly sensitive substrate is manufactured using established processes leading to highly reliable, easy to use products at potentially competitive prices.