Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) as tool to exploit antigen–antibody interactions in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomadetection

Novel synthetic peptides represent smart molecules for antigen–antibody interactions in several bioanalytics applications, from purification to serum screening. Their immobilization onto a solid phase is considered a key point for sensitivity increasing. In this view, we exploited Quartz Crystal Microbalance with simultaneous frequency and dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) with a double aim, specifically, as investigative tool for spacers monolayer assembling and its functional evaluation, as well as high sensitive method for specific immunosorbent assays. The method was applied to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) detection by studying the interactions between synthetic phosphorylated and un-phosphorylated α-enolase peptides with sera of healthy and PDAC patients. The synthetic peptides were immobilized on the gold surface of the QCM-D sensor via a self-assembled alkanethiol monolayer. The presented experimental results can be applied to the development of surfaces less sensitive to non-specific interactions with the final target to suggest specific protocols for detecting PDAC markers with un-labeled biosensors.

► Synthetic peptides are smart molecules for exploiting antigen-antibody interactions. ► Antibodies related to PDAC interact with synthetic (phospho)-α-enolase peptides. ► QCM-D studies the interactions between peptides and healthy and PDAC sera. ► Surfaces less sensitive to non-specific interactions with sera are selected. ► Protocols for detecting PDAC markers with unlabeled biosensors are suggested