Detection of ligand-elicited secondary cellular responses using Surface Acoustic Wave biosensors

The work presented in this paper is a part of the iCHEM STREP project, which aims at developing a new class of technology for biosynthetic infochemical communication by exploiting recent advances in the understanding of both pheromone biosynthesis pathways and the detection of molecules in the insect nervous system. We present the design and development of a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW) biosensor system and report preliminary results using a functionalised coating (SF9 whole cells), to detect secondary cellular responses triggered when 12.5μM of octopamine hydrochloride, an invertebrate neurotransmitter, binds to the endogenously expressed octopamine receptors present on the cell.