Picoscope, a new label-free biosensor

A new label-free biosensing spectral correlation method based on measurements of a correlation signal of two interferometers in an original optical scheme has been developed. One of the interferometers used as a biochip is a simple microscope cover glass without any additional metal or dielectric film. A biosensor named “Picoscope” has been developed for real-time simultaneous detection of several biological agents by measuring picometer-range changes of the thickness of different biorecognition spots on the biochip surface. The application area of the Picoscope can be as wide as that of traditional optical microscope. However, the Picoscope can provide much more comprehensive information with outstanding resolution in depth, for example, for measuring molecular binding kinetics, monitoring of assembling and detaching in molecular structures, etc. The Picoscope technology will significantly increase the power of research instruments for bio-, nano- and pico-technologies.