Novel nonlinear laser wave-mixing spectroscopy is presented as a highly sensitive absorption-based detection method for biomedical applications.  Wave mixing offers inherent advantages including excellent sensitivity, small sample requirements, short optical path length, high spatial resolution and excellent standoff detection capability.  The sensitivity level provided by laser wave-mixing is ideal for the detection of specific prognostic markers, such as carcinoma antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3), the most commonly used serum marker for breast cancer.  The CA 15-3 marker is also associated with epithelial ovarian cancer and lung cancer.  Sensitive detection of CA 15-3 will greatly improve the monitoring of breast cancer treatment, as well as the diagnosis of recurring breast cancer and potentially achieve earlier detection of breast cancer.  In a typical wave-mixing setup, the signal is generated when the two input beams intersect on the capillary containing the analyte of interest.  The wave-mixing signal is a coherent laser-like beam and can be collected with virtually 100% efficiency and minimal background noise.  The signal has a cubic dependence on laser power and a quadratic dependence on analyte concentration, and hence, it is inherently suitable as a chemical sensor.  A 447 nm laser is used in our wave-mixing setup to detect labeled CA 15-3 and we plan to present excellent detection sensitivity and selectivity levels when interfaced to a capillary electrophoresis system

Sensitive detection of a breast cancer prognostic marker by nonlinear laser wave-mixing spectroscopy

247th National Meeting (2014)

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