Study of Bacterial Biofilms by Surface-enhanced Raman Microscopy
Final Report Abstract
To address the challenges in multiplex and simultaneous detection of complex biofilm system, the following goals have been achieved within this project: (1) uniform AgNPs with high SERS enhancement were synthesized with a facile method, which enables the sensitive SERS detection; (2) two different EPS constituents were successfully targeted by selecting the lectins which specifically recognize different glycoproteins in EPS; (3) two alkyne Raman molecules with unique interferencefree reporter peaks in Raman wavenunriber silent region were successfully conjugated with lectins and labeled on biofilms, which enables the reliable identification of EPS constituents; (4) the multiplexed and simultaneous SERS imaging studies of EPS constituents has been successfully demonstrated on the specifically targeted, Raman reporter molecules labeled, and AgNPs deposited biofilm samples. All the achievements present a proof-of-concept of reliable, multiplexed, and simultaneous SERS imaging of EPS constituents in biofilms with excellent specificity, sensitivity, and spatial resolution. This work may shed a new light on the monitoring of the formation process of biofilms dynamically and specifically as well as holds the great potential for practical applications.
