Adaptive silver films for detection of antibody-antigen binding.

Antibody-antigen binding events at a monolayer protein concentration have been demonstrated on nanostructured adaptive silver films (ASFs) using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and luminescence-based assays. It is shown that proteins stabilize and restructure the ASF to increase the SERS signal while preserving antigen-binding activity. Evidence for antibody-antigen binding on the ASF substrates is the distinct SERS spectral changes of the surface-bound antibody or antigen without special tags. The activity of the surface-bound proteins and their practical application are validated by independent immunochemical assays. Results are presented to demonstrate that these surfaces can be extended to protein arrays with detection applications distinct from current SERS, fluorescence, or luminescence methods.