Diagnosis of Phenylketonuria (PKU) in newborns is important because it can potentially help prevent mental retardation since it is treatable by dietary means. PKU results in phenylketonurics having phenylalanine levels as high as 2 mM whereas the normal upper limit in healthy newborns is 120 uM. To this end, we are developing a microfluidic platform integrated with a SERS substrate for detection of high levels of phenylalanine. We have successfully demonstrated SERS detection of phenylalanine using various SERS substrates fabricated using nanosphere lithography, which exhibit high levels of field enhancement. We show detection of SERS at clinically relevant levels.

Date Published: 20 February 2014
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8954, Nanoscale Imaging, Sensing, and Actuation for Biomedical Applications XI, 89540R (20 February 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2040845

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8954:
Nanoscale Imaging, Sensing, and Actuation for Biomedical Applications XI
Alexander N. Cartwright; Dan V. Nicolau, Editor(s)