Tunable Wavelength Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Microscope

Introduction SPR microscopy investigates spatially resolved areas on the surface through the excitation of plasmons at the metal-sample interface by incident photons. For the SPR phenomenon to be observed, the SPR angle, i.e. the angle of incident light and the SPR wavelength, i.e. the wavelength of the excitation source, are critical experimental parameters. Molecular interactions alter the refractive index at the sample surface and hence alter the conditions under which the surface plasmons are excited, i.e. the SPR angle and SPR wavelength. Many conventional SPR-based instruments utilize bulky rotation arms to vary the SPR angle. Technology description Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a novel SPR microscope that requires a single rotation element to vary the imaging wavelength. This novel microscope, in addition to the established advantages of SPR-based techniques (i.e. low sample volume requirements, high time resolution, high sensitivity and label-free monitoring) also reduces the number of supporting elements required thus increasing the compactness of the system. Business opportunity This technology will be of interest for field or point-of-care diagnostics. Intellectual property position

Patents:
US 7,030,989

Type of Offer: Licensing



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