ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the development and applications of optical nanobiosensor systems and their applications for in vivo bioanalysis at the single-cell level. The nanoprobes were fabricated with optical fibers pulled down to tips with distal ends having sizes of ∼30–50 nm. The fiberoptics nanoprobes were covalently bound with antibodies that are selective to target analyte molecules. Excitation light is launched into the fiber and the resulting evanescent field at the tip of the fiber is used to excite target molecules bound to the antibody molecules. The fluorescence emission from the analyte molecules is then collected via a microscope. These nanobiosensors allow the probing of cellular and subcellular environments in single cells.
