title: Aptasensors Based on Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators.
abstract: In this paper, we review the literature on optical evanescent field sensing in resonant cavities where aptamers are used as biochemical receptors. The combined advantages of highly sensitive whispering gallery mode resonator (WGMR)-based transducers, and of the unique properties of aptamers make this approach extremely interesting in the medical field, where there is a particularly high need for devices able to provide real time diagnosis for cancer, infectious diseases, or strokes. However, despite the superior performances of aptamers compared to antibodies and WGMR to other evanescent sensors, there is not much literature combining both types of receptors and transducers. Up to now, the WGMR that have been used are silica microspheres and silicon oxynitride (SiON) ring resonators.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara (IFAC CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy. g.nunziconti@ifac.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Gualtiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nunzi Conti
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara (IFAC CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy. s.berneschi@ifac.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Simome
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berneschi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara (IFAC CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy. s.soria@ifac.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soria
mesh_terms: D016607:Aflatoxin M1; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D008863:Microspheres; D013917:Thrombin; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D016607:Aflatoxin M1; D013917:Thrombin
keywords: aptamers; integrated rings; microspheres; optical sensors; whispering gallery mode resonators