We demonstrate the first use of smartphone spectrophotometry for readout of fluorescence-based biological assays. We evaluated the smartphone fluorimeter in the context of a fluorescent molecular beacon (MB) assay for detection of a specific nucleic acid sequences in a liquid test sample. The capability of distinguishing a one-point mismatch is also demonstrated by detecting single-base mutation in target nucleic acids. Our approach offers a route towards portable biomolecular assays for viral/bacterial pathogens, disease biomarkers, and toxins.

Date Published: 2 March 2015
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 9310, Frontiers in Biological Detection: From Nanosensors to Systems VII, 93100B (2 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2083999

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9310:
Frontiers in Biological Detection: From Nanosensors to Systems VII
Benjamin L. Miller; Philippe M. Fauchet; Brian T. Cunningham, Editor(s)