Research Projects

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are the leading cause of long-term disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) being the most common. These diseases affect cognitive impairment, speech, visuospatial orientation, behavior, and motor system. With nearly 50 million and 9.4 million people living with these diseases globally, and over millions in India, the disease is a global health crisis. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for delaying the onset of NDs and supporting healthcare systems. Currently, Aβ1-42 quantification-based early detection approaches, such as ELIsA, face challenges such as inadequate detection limits, sensitivity, laborious procedures, and multiple washing steps. The current project aims to develop an ultrasensitive point of care biosensor based on biocatalytically triggered etching of plasmonic nanoparticles immobilized on fiber-optic sensor probes. The U-bent fiber-optic sensor will be used as the plasmonic biosensor probe, immobilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNP) of different shapes. The developed plasmonic fiber optic sensor probes will be evaluated for biochemical-mediated etching of immobilized AuNP, and real-time changes in the LsPR signal will be monitored. The fiber optic immunosensor will be realized for early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases using spiked plasma or serum samples. This promising work will lead to the development of an innovative enzymatic-triggered etching-based plasmonic fiber-optic immunosensor for amyloid-beta detection, potentially used for other disease biomarkers.