Superchiral near fields detect virus structure.
Light Sci Appl
; 9(1): 195, 2020 Dec 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33298854
ABSTRACT
Optical spectroscopy can be used to quickly characterise the structural properties of individual molecules. However, it cannot be applied to biological assemblies because light is generally blind to the spatial distribution of the component molecules. This insensitivity arises from the mismatch in length scales between the assemblies (a few tens of nm) and the wavelength of light required to excite chromophores (≥150 nm). Consequently, with conventional spectroscopy, ordered assemblies, such as the icosahedral capsids of viruses, appear to be indistinguishable isotropic spherical objects. This limits potential routes to rapid high-throughput portable detection appropriate for point-of-care diagnostics. Here, we demonstrate that chiral electromagnetic (EM) near fields, which have both enhanced chiral asymmetry (referred to as superchirality) and subwavelength spatial localisation (â¼10 nm), can detect the icosahedral structure of virus capsids. Thus, they can detect both the presence and relative orientation of a bound virus capsid. To illustrate the potential uses of the exquisite structural sensitivity of subwavelength superchiral fields, we have used them to successfully detect virus particles in the complex milieu of blood serum.
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1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Light Sci Appl
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido