Professor. C.R.Lowe

Holographic Biosensors

Holographic biosensors were pioneered at the Institute by a multi-disciplinary team of physicists, chemists and biochemists. The technology is the subject of several patents and applications.

The concept of using a reflection hologram as an inexpensive, disposable, mass-producible sensor has recently been introduced by the Lowe group.

This approach is unique in the field of biochemical sensors since the hologram per se provides both the analyte-specific responsive polymer and the optical interrogation and reporting transducer.

The group have now developed new holographic base matrices which can be modified rationally in order to construct specific response mechanisms to target analyte. Holograms have now been fabricated in a variety of defined polymeric matrices, including polyvinylalcohol, poly-hydroxyethylmethacrylate and polyacrylamide. Such a capability now opens up the prospect of constructing holographic sensors based on rationally designed synthetic polymers for almost any analyte.

The group has recently demonstrated 'smart' holograms responsive to ions, gases, enzimes, metabolites, oligonucleotides, antigens and whole cells. The group are developing multi-analyte devices which respond to a range of measurands in a single biological sample and developing the ability to monitor arrays of holographic sensors via appropriate optical instrumentation. Furthermore, holographic sensors can be configured as directly visible image holograms. These SMART holograms do not need any additional electronic instrumentation; they are a virtual instrument.

Holographic sensors can be fabricated as test strips which provide a changing optical image (colour, alphanumerics, messages) as the test result.

This is an example of a holographic image appearing before and after a test

This technology is being commercialised via Smart Holograms Ltd.

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