Dwayne Vickers, Tuskegee University, Chemical Engineering Department, Tuskegee, AL 36088 and Tamara Floyd-Smith, Chemical Engineering, Tuskegee University, 522A Luther Foster Hall, Tuskegee, AL 36088.
A bead-based microfluidic immunosensor has been developed to detect small molecules. Proof of concept is demonstrated by sensing TNT. This microfluidic device has a one entrance, one exit setup, with a region that allows the beads to be immobilized. The flow pattern and pressure drop across the beads for various bead sizes was investigated to determine the relationship between the pressure drop and the bed length and bead size. Next, biotinylated TNT antibodies were attached to streptavidin coated beads. Detection of the TNT analytes was accomplished via a displacement assay and downstream fluorescence spectroscopy.