Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-assisted lateral flow test for adenine and IgG analysis

The development of analytical methods allowing a fast and easy to perform chemical analysis of complex samples under non-laboratory conditions presents a considerable scientific challenge that requires attention. Many analytical tasks are performed using commercially available immunochemistry based lateral flow tests, where the results are detected via a direct observation of the color change of the test strip. However, these tests in many cases do not have the desired levels of selectivity and/or sensitivity or even in some cases introduce an unwanted degree of subjectivity and thus uncertainty. Here, we developed a novel lateral flow analysis test designed for easy-to-run and easily to-interpret detection implementing surface enhanced Raman scattering. The strip utilizes modular polymeric sections specifically engineered to simplify the separation of target analytes from complex biological samples. This separation relies on a series of carefully designed physicochemical interactions between the sample components and the polymeric materials embedded in the strip. A key feature of this detection method is an analytical area on the strip that incorporates plasmonic silver nanostructures with a possibility of further surface functionalization using various selectors. We evaluated this test on the selective detection of IgG through its antibody and Adenine, as representatives of proteins and low molecular compounds. This innovative test format combines modular design with advanced detection, offering significant potential for applications in biomedical research, diagnostic testing, and monitoring of immune function.