Our Projects / SPRing

In the last decade, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-biosensors gained a key position in the trace analysis and characterization of protein-ligand biointeractions, due to a combination of fast and highly sensitive label-free detection and real-time information on the binding kinetics of the interaction. The combination of these advantages gives SPR a rather unique position in the field of biological binding interactions (e.g. receptor-ligand, enzyme-inhibitor or antibody-antigen), which is not possible with other techniques such as traditional binding and immunoaffinity assays, crystallography and protein interaction NMR and MS.

The SPRing project will advance SPR technology toward miniaturized imaging formats of multiple biorecognition events in parallel (multiplex imaging. Recent fundamental knowledge from nanoplasmonics and nanopatterning allowed significant miniaturization and cost reduction of SPR. Such a miniaturized iSPR concept will be further developed at WU toward a true handheld analytical device capable of multiplex iSPR biosensing, and ultimately bringing the lab to the sample.

As a model system and highly relevant application, the multiplex detection of biotoxins in the food chain is very suitable for valorization. The SPRing project shows a realistic and relevant valorization potential in multiple application areas such as food, pharma, environment and high-tech instruments.

The private partners within SPRing are not just end-users; several of them are international opinion leaders in their application areas and have the capability to set a benchmark and even influence the relevant European control legislation.

Moreover, the involvement of both a commercial test kit producer and worldwide distributor/hardware manufacturers of SPR instrumentation assures that the valorization potential of SPRing has a very high chance to be turned into real business for the Dutch knowledge-based economy.