{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,18]],"date-time":"2026-01-18T11:55:00Z","timestamp":1768737300610,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]],"date-time":"2022-04-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1650326400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nanomaterials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Plasmonic bio\/chemical sensing based on optical fibers combined with molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (nanoMIPs), which are polymeric receptors prepared by a template-assisted synthesis, has been demonstrated as a powerful method to attain ultra-low detection limits, particularly when exploiting soft nanoMIPs, which are known to deform upon analyte binding. This work presents the development of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor in silica light-diffusing fibers (LDFs) functionalized with a specific nanoMIP receptor, entailed for the recognition of the protein human serum transferrin (HTR). Despite their great versatility, to date only SPR-LFDs functionalized with antibodies have been reported. Here, the innovative combination of an SPR-LFD platform and nanoMIPs led to the development of a sensor with an ultra-low limit of detection (LOD), equal to about 4 fM, and selective for its target analyte HTR. It is worth noting that the SPR-LDF-nanoMIP sensor was mounted within a specially designed 3D-printed holder yielding a measurement cell suitable for a rapid and reliable setup, and easy for the scaling up of the measurements. Moreover, the fabrication process to realize the SPR platform is minimal, requiring only a metal deposition step.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nano12091400","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,20]],"date-time":"2022-04-20T00:22:43Z","timestamp":1650414163000},"page":"1400","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["A Plasmonic Biosensor Based on Light-Diffusing Fibers Functionalized with Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles for Ultralow Sensing of Proteins"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7863-743X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Arcadio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8193-5873","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mimimorena","family":"Seggio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy"}]},{"given":"Domenico","family":"Del Prete","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy"}]},{"given":"Gionatan","family":"Buonanno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1031-9261","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INESC TEC\u2013Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6205-9479","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00eds C. C.","family":"Coelho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INESC TEC\u2013Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1484-2068","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro A. S.","family":"Jorge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INESC TEC\u2013Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Departmento de F\u00edsica e Astronomia, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s\/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8356-7480","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luigi","family":"Zeni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2542-8412","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra Maria","family":"Bossi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7769-0984","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nunzio","family":"Cennamo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"528","DOI":"10.1007\/s00216-003-2101-0","article-title":"Present and future of surface plasmon resonance biosensors","volume":"377","author":"Homola","year":"2003","journal-title":"Anal. Bioanal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7959","DOI":"10.3390\/s140507959","article-title":"Recent advances in plasmonic sensors","volume":"14","author":"Tong","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2016.01.118","article-title":"SPR biosensors: Historical perspectives and current challenges","volume":"229","author":"Singh","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3906","DOI":"10.1039\/C8AY00948A","article-title":"Recent advancements in the methodologies applied for the sensitivity enhancement of surface plasmon resonance sensors","volume":"10","author":"Tabasi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Anal. Methods"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1815","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bios.2010.09.030","article-title":"New trends in instrumental design for surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors","volume":"26","author":"Abbas","year":"2011","journal-title":"Biosens. Bioelectron."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Klantsataya, E., Jia, P., Ebendorff-Heidepriem, H., Monro, T.M., and Fran\u00e7ois, A. (2017). Plasmonic fiber optic refractometric sensors: From conventional architectures to recent design trends. Sensors, 17.","DOI":"10.3390\/s17010012"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"386","DOI":"10.1039\/C4AN01079E","article-title":"Plasmon-enhanced optical sensors: A review","volume":"140","author":"Li","year":"2015","journal-title":"Analyst"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Walter, J.G., Eilers, A., Alwis, L.S.M., Roth, B.W., and Bremer, K. (2020). SPR Biosensor Based on Polymer Multi-Mode Optical Waveguide and Nanoparticle Signal Enhancement. Sensors, 20.","DOI":"10.3390\/s20102889"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3883","DOI":"10.1007\/s00216-014-8411-6","article-title":"Review of plasmonic fiber optic biochemical sensors: Improving the limit of detection","volume":"407","author":"Caucheteur","year":"2015","journal-title":"Anal. Bioanal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16904","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-017-17276-3","article-title":"A label-free fiber optic SPR biosensor for specific detection of C-reactive protein","volume":"7","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122532","DOI":"10.1016\/j.talanta.2021.122532","article-title":"SARS-CoV-2 spike protein detection through a plasmonic D-shaped plastic optical fiber aptasensor","volume":"233","author":"Cennamo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Talanta"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"121324","DOI":"10.1016\/j.talanta.2020.121324","article-title":"A D-shaped fiber SPR sensor with a composite nanostructure of MoS2-graphene for glucose detection","volume":"219","author":"Yu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Talanta"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chiappini, A., Pasquardini, L., and Bossi, A.M. (2020). Molecular imprinted polymers coupled to photonic structures in biosensors: The state of art. Sensors, 20.","DOI":"10.3390\/s20185069"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"404","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2015.02.028","article-title":"Fiber optic SPR sensor for the detection of melamine using molecular imprinting","volume":"212","author":"Shrivastav","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.1002\/macp.1981.021820240","article-title":"Synthesis of Substrate-selective Polymers by Host-guest Polymerization","volume":"182","author":"Arshady","year":"1981","journal-title":"Die Makromol. Chemie"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"747","DOI":"10.1039\/b102799a","article-title":"Molecularly imprinted polymers in analytical chemistry","volume":"126","author":"Haupt","year":"2001","journal-title":"Analyst"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2495","DOI":"10.1021\/cr990099w","article-title":"Molecularly imprinted polymers and their use in biomimetic sensors","volume":"100","author":"Haupt","year":"2000","journal-title":"Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1131","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bios.2006.06.023","article-title":"Molecularly imprinted polymers for the recognition of proteins: The state of the art","volume":"22","author":"Bossi","year":"2007","journal-title":"Biosens. Bioelectron."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"612","DOI":"10.1038\/nmat2818","article-title":"Biomaterials: Plastic Antibodies","volume":"9","author":"Haupt","year":"2010","journal-title":"Nat. Mater."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"629","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tibtech.2010.08.006","article-title":"Advances in the manufacture of MIP nanoparticles","volume":"28","author":"Poma","year":"2010","journal-title":"Trends Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"453","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eurpolymj.2018.08.031","article-title":"Synthesis and characterization of peptide-imprinted nanogels of controllable size and affinity","volume":"109","author":"Cenci","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur. Polym. J."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6908","DOI":"10.1021\/acsami.6b16291","article-title":"Solvent-Responsive Molecularly Imprinted Nanogels for Targeted Protein Analysis in MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry","volume":"9","author":"Bertolla","year":"2017","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112126","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bios.2020.112126","article-title":"Deformable molecularly imprinted nanogels permit sensitivity-gain in plasmonic sensing","volume":"156","author":"Cennamo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biosens. Bioelectron."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"801489","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2021.801489","article-title":"On the Effect of Soft Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles Receptors Combined to Nanoplasmonic Probes for Biomedical Applications","volume":"9","author":"Cennamo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cennamo, N., Zeni, L., Catalano, E., Arcadio, F., and Minardo, A. (2018). Refractive Index Sensing through Surface Plasmon Resonance in Light-Diffusing Fibers. Appl. Sci., 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/app8071172"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cennamo, N., Zeni, L., Arcadio, F., Catalano, E., and Minardo, A. (2019). A Novel Approach to Realizing Low-Cost Plasmonic Optical Fiber Sensors: Light-Diffusing Fibers Covered by Thin Metal Films. Fibers, 7.","DOI":"10.3390\/fib7040034"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16054","DOI":"10.1109\/JSEN.2021.3075300","article-title":"A Simple and Efficient Plasmonic Sensor in Light Diffusive Polymer Fibers","volume":"21","author":"Cennamo","year":"2021","journal-title":"IEEE Sens. J."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1332","DOI":"10.1364\/OSAC.1.001332","article-title":"Practical sensing approach based on surface plasmon resonance in a photonic crystal fiber","volume":"1","author":"Zhou","year":"2018","journal-title":"OSA Contin."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1080\/01468030.2021.1902590","article-title":"Plasmonics: A Necessity in the Field of Sensing-A Review (Invited)","volume":"40","author":"Butt","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fiber Integr. Opt."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1537","DOI":"10.1007\/s11468-015-9971-9","article-title":"Theoretical Description of Dynamic Transmission Characteristics in MDM Waveguide Aperture-Side-Coupled with Ring Cavity","volume":"10","author":"Deng","year":"2015","journal-title":"Plasmonics"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"345","DOI":"10.1007\/s11468-017-0519-z","article-title":"Dynamic Control of Double Plasmon-Induced Transparencies in Aperture-Coupled Waveguide-Cavity System","volume":"13","author":"Deng","year":"2018","journal-title":"Plasmonics"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129771","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2021.129771","article-title":"Biosensors exploiting unconventional platforms: The case of plasmonic light-diffusing fibers","volume":"337","author":"Cennamo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1310","DOI":"10.1021\/ac034788q","article-title":"Composite of Au nanoparticles and molecularly imprinted polymer as a sensing material","volume":"76","author":"Matsui","year":"2004","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2749","DOI":"10.1007\/s00604-017-2275-3","article-title":"Detection of transferrin by using a surface plasmon resonance sensor functionalized with a boronic acid monolayer","volume":"184","author":"Mayang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Microchim. Acta"}],"container-title":["Nanomaterials"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-4991\/12\/9\/1400\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T22:57:04Z","timestamp":1760137024000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-4991\/12\/9\/1400"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5]]}},"alternative-id":["nano12091400"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nano12091400","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-4991"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2079-4991","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]}}}