SPR Sensor Chip Aperture Layout for Blood Biomarker Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease lack sensitivity and specificity, especially in early stages, and existing diagnostic tests are invasive or too expensive for widespread clinical use.
Innovation Solution
A sensor chip utilizing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology with a conductive layer and apertures that produce SPR, combined with a membrane support layer, for detecting analytes such as amyloid beta plaques through exosome-bound markers, enabling early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current diagnostic methods (clinical assessments, neuropsychological tests) are used, then diagnosis can be performed without specialized equipment, but sensitivity and specificity are insufficient especially in early stages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and procedural diagnostic systems (lumbar punctures, PET imaging) with an optical sensing system based on surface plasmon resonance. The SPR sensor chip detects amyloid-beta exosomes directly from blood samples through optical measurements, eliminating the need for invasive procedures while achieving high detection sensitivity comparable to or exceeding current methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from measuring clinical symptoms or requiring invasive biomarker extraction to directly detecting exosome-bound amyloid-beta proteins in blood using SPR technology. This parameter change enables non-invasive early detection with high sensitivity by monitoring refractive index changes at the sensor surface when target molecules bind.
2Measurement precision
If invasive tests like lumbar puncture or expensive PET imaging are used, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but patient comfort deteriorates and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes invasive mechanical procedures (lumbar puncture needles, PET radiation exposure) with a non-invasive optical detection system. The SPR sensor chip analyzes blood-derived exosomes externally, maintaining diagnostic accuracy while completely eliminating the physical harm and discomfort associated with invasive testing methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces exosomes as intermediary carriers that transport amyloid-beta proteins from the brain to the bloodstream. By detecting these exosome-bound markers in peripheral blood through SPR, the system achieves accurate brain pathology assessment without needing to access the brain directly through invasive procedures.
3Loss of time
If current diagnostic assays are used, then existing technology can be applied, but early detection capability is limited due to lack of sensitive biomarkers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection of amyloid-beta accumulation in the brain through its exosomal markers in blood, before clinical symptoms manifest. The SPR-based exosome detection system identifies disease presence in pre-clinical stages, enabling early intervention before significant neuronal damage occurs and before traditional diagnostic methods can detect abnormalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection target from measuring bulk protein levels or clinical symptoms to detecting specific exosome-bound amyloid-beta complexes. This parameter change increases detection sensitivity by focusing on the specific biomarker载体 (exosomes) that transport pathological proteins, enabling detection at much lower concentrations and earlier disease stages.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor chip provides sensitive and specific detection of neurodegenerative diseases by analyzing exosome-bound markers in a non-invasive manner, correlating with brain amyloid plaque imaging, and distinguishing between different clinical groups.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of apertures extend through the conductive layer and the membrane support layer and are arranged such that illumination of the conductive layer and/or the membrane support layer produces a surface plasmon resonance
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates generally to a sensor chip and methods for the detection of an analyte. In particular, the disclosure relates to a sensor chip for detecting an analyte in a subject suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. The sensor chip comprises a conductive layer on a membrane support layer, wherein a plurality of apertures extend through the conductive layer and the membrane support layer and are arranged such that illumination of the conductive layer and/or the membrane support layer produces a surface plasmon resonance.