Microwave-Accelerated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MAMEF) with silver colloids in 96-well plates: Application to ultra fast and sensitive immunoassays, High Throughput Screening and drug discovery

Fluorescence detection is the basis of most assays used in drug discovery and High Throughput Screening (HTS) today. In all of these assays, assay rapidity and sensitivity is a primary concern, the sensitivity determined by both the quantum yield of the fluorophores and efficiency of the detection system, while rapidity is determined by the physical and biophysical parameters of temperature, concentration, assay bioaffinity, etc.In this paper we describe a platform technology that promises to fundamentally address these two physical constraints of sensitivity and rapidity. By combining the use of Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF), a near-field effect that can significantly enhance fluorescence signatures, with low power microwave heating, we can significantly increase the sensitivity of surface assays as well as > 95% kinetically complete the assay within a few seconds. In addition, the metallic nanostructures used to facilitate MEF appear to be preferentially heated as compared to the surface assay fluid, advantageously localizing the MEF and heating around the nanostructures. To demonstrate proof of principle, a 96-well plate has been functionalized with silver nanostructures, and a model protein avidin–biotin assay studied. In our findings, a greater than 5-fold fluorescence enhancement coupled with a ≈ 90-fold increase in assay kinetics was observed, but with no assay washing steps needed due to the silver-enhanced evanescent field mode of excitation. These findings promise to strongly facilitate high throughput fluorescence-based processes, such as in biology, drug discovery and general compound screening.