Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry, or "AIR", is a new label-free technique for detecting proteins that relies on bindinginduced
changes in the response of an antireflective coating on the surface of a silicon ship. Because the technique
provides high sensitivity, excellent dynamic range, and readily integrates with standard silicon wafer processing
technology, it is an exceptionally attractive platform on which to build systems for detecting proteins in complex
solutions. In our early research, we used AIR chips bearing secreted receptor proteins from enteropathogenic E. coli to
develop sensors for this pathogen. Recently, we have been exploring an alternative strategy: Rather than detecting the
pathogen directly, can one immobilize antigens from a pathogen, and employ AIR to detect antibody responses to those
antigens? Such a strategy would provide enhanced sensitivity for pathogen detection (as the immune system essentially
amplifies the "signal" caused by the presence of an organism to which it responds), and would also potentially prove
useful in the process of vaccine development. We describe herein preliminary results in the application of such a
strategy to the detection of antibodies to human papillomavirus (HPV).
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