Sensing of antibodies secreted by microfluidically trapped cells via extraordinary optical transmission through nanohole arrays

This work presents a multi-component chip that: (i) traps settling cells into poly(dimethyl siloxane) microwells; and (ii) senses the binding of antibodies to antigen immobilized onto a gold surface via the surface plasmon resonance shifts of milled nanohole arrays. We have previously detected the 17/9 antibodies secreted by ~200 hybridoma cells/trap. This work demonstrates our system's current capabilities and limitations via a follow-up experiment using a reduced ~5-20 hybridoma cells/trap density.