USE OF POLYMER MICROPILLAR ARRAYS FOR SIGNAL ENHANCEMENT IN COLORIMETRIC AND FLUORESCENCE-BASED DETECTION ASSAYS

We investigate the use of periodic micropillar arrays produced by high-fidelity microfabrication with cyclic olefin polymers for bioanalytical assays in colorimetric and fluorescence-based detection formats (Fig. 1) [1,2].These three-dimensional (3D) templates offer higher surface-to-volume ratios than two-dimensional substrates, making it possible to attach more target analyte per surface area and so increase the signal obtained by the assay.Micropillar arrays also provide the capacity to induce wicking, which is used to distribute and confine capture probes (e.g., oligonucleotides or antibodies) on the surface with spatial control, enhancing signal uniformity, while also allowing different probes to be arranged in close proximity.