Suspended microchannel resonators for biomolecular detection

We have demonstrated a new approach for detecting biomolecular mass in the aqueous environment. Known as the suspended microchannel resonator (SMR), target molecules flow through a suspended microchannel and are captured by receptor molecules attached to the interior channel walls [1]. As with other resonant mass sensors, the SMR detects the amount of captured target molecules via the change in resonance frequency of the channel during the adsorption (Figures 1,2). However, what separates the SMR from the myriad of existing resonant mass sensors is that the receptors, targets, and their aqueous environment are confined inside the resonator, while the resonator itself can oscillate at high Q in an external vacuum environment, thus, yielding extraordinarily high mass resolution.