A spectrophotometer that uses a localized surface plasmon resonance phenomenon is a powerful measurement tool in the biotechnology and bioanalysis fields. We propose a novel cuvette design type that can be used for universal spectrophotometers. The novel cuvette design needs a few μl reagent for measuring, and also two chips for measurement can be loaded and measured at the same time. A new cuvette can easily be used several times because of sample chips to be loaded and unloaded since they are mechanically mounted by screws. Therefore, it can offer advantages to users in terms of cost and time. We verify its possibility for use in the biotechnology and bioanalysis fields by a signal enhancement and dual signal detection.

Porous carbon particles with a spherical shape were prepared by a spray pyrolysis process using sucrose and NaHCO3. The prepared carbon particles had macropores (40 ∼ 50 nm) as well as mesopores with specific surface areas of 669 and 825 m2/g when the ratio of NaHCO3 to sucrose was 1.0 and 3.0, respectively. Many surface functional groups such as C = O, C-O and OH were generated and could improve the wettability of the synthesized carbon. Clear G and D bands in Raman spectra were observed, indicating that the prepared carbon particles have a graphite-like structure. Electrochemical properties of the prepared carbon particles were investigated by the cyclic voltammetry and electrical impedance analysis. Compared with the commercially-available activated carbon, the porous carbon particles prepared by the spray pyrolysis showed an improved electrosorption capacitance. The increase of the effective surface area for the ion sorption due to the existence of macropores with mesopores, as well as the existence of many surface functional groups, were responsible for the improvement of the electrosorption capacitance.

The neural circuits of the infant brain are rapidly established near 6 months of age, but neurodevelopmental disorders can be diagnosed only at the age of 2–3 years using existing diagnostic methods. Early diagnosis is very important to alleviate life-long disability in patients through appropriate early intervention, and it is imperative to develop new diagnostic methods for early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders. We examined the serum level of secretogranin II (SCG2) in pediatric patients to evaluate its potential role as a biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorders. A plasmonic immunosensor performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on a gold nanodot array was developed to detect SCG2 in small volumes of serum. This nanoplasmonic immunosensor combined with tyramide signal amplification was highly sensitive to detect SCG2 in only 5 μL serum samples. The analysis using the nanoplasmonic immunosensor revealed higher serum SCG2 levels in pediatric patients with developmental delay than in the control group. Overexpression or knockdown of SCG2 in hippocampal neurons significantly attenuated dendritic arborization and synaptic formation. These results suggest that dysregulated SCG2 expression impairs neural development. In conclusion, we developed a highly sensitive nanoplasmonic immunosensor to detect serum SCG2, a candidate biomarker for the early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders.

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