Occhicone, AgostinoAgostinoOcchiconeSinibaldi, AlbertoAlbertoSinibaldiChiappetta, DanieleDanieleChiappettaMatteo, Paola diPaola diMatteoPileri, TommasoTommasoPileriDanz, NorbertNorbertDanzSonntag, FrankFrankSonntagMunzert, PeterPeterMunzertAllegretti, MatteoMatteoAllegrettiPascale, Valentina deValentina dePascaleMandoj, ChiaraChiaraMandojMichelotti, FrancescoFrancescoMichelotti2023-12-142023-12-142023https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/45804310.1016/j.biosx.2023.100413This study presents the development and characterization of a disposable biochip for the detection of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, a well-known target for vaccine and therapeutic development. This biochip is based on a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC) deposited on a plastic substrate and designed to sustain Bloch surface waves (BSW) in the visible range. The experimental phase was carried out using the biochip in conjunction with a custom-made optical read-out platform capable of real-time refractometric detection and fluorescence-based end-point measurements. Our biochip was functionalized by immobilizing the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein onto the surface using a silanization process. Human serum samples, including a negative control and a positive sample from a recovered COVID-19 patient, were tested on the biochip. The experimental results show that the biochip discriminates between positive and negative samples in a label-free refractometric mode down to a 1:10 dilution of the sera and in quantum dot amplified refractometric and fluorescence mode down to 1:100 dilution. The results demonstrate the potential of the disposable biochip for sensitive and specific detection of COVID-19 antibodies.enSARS-CoV-2BiosensorsOne-dimensional photonic crystalsBlick surface wavesjournal article