Viral and Hormonal Antigen Detection Using Colorimetric Based Gold Nanoparticle

This work is aimed at detecting and assessing the performance of colorimetricgold nanoparticle (AuNP) based biosensors, designed to inspect 17-beta-estradiol (E2), SARS-Cov-2 (RBD), and Ebola virus secreted glycoprotein (sGP) with samples at different concentration ranges. The biosensors are able to provide a colorimetric readout, that enables the detection signal to be transmitted via a simple glance, which renders these biosensors cheap and rapid therefore enabling for their implementation into point of care (POC) devices for diagnostic testing in harsh /rural environments, where there is a lack of machinery or trained staff to carry out the diagnosis experiments. Or their implementation into POC devices in medical areas for clinical diagnosis. The intent of this research is to detect the targets of interest such as E2 at a lower limit of detection (LOD), and such as RBD using a novel biosensor design. The verification of the colorimetric results is done via transmission spectra recordings and a compilation of the extinction, where an S-curve relative to the detection concentrations can be seen. This research displays, the fabrication of numerous biosensors and using them in detection experiments to hypothesize the performance of detection using target samples. Additionally, this color change is quantifiable by transmission spectrum recordings to compile the data and calculate the extinction S curve. With the least extinction values pertaining to the highest concentration of detection and the highest extinction values is at the lowest concentration of detection.