Evanescent field excitation of Cy5-conjugated lipid bilayers using optical microcavities

Whispering gallery mode optical microresonators are devices used for performing ultra-sensitive optical detection. Although the majority of the sensor research has been focused on label-free detection strategies for diagnostics, a whispering gallery mode device is ideally suited to perform fluorescent label-based biodetection as well. However, previous research using optical microcavities to excite fluorescent molecules has focused on cavity quantum electrodynamics applications and fundamental studies of the interactions of large fluorescent nanoparticles with the resonant cavity. In the present work, a method for forming self-assembled lipid bilayers, a mimic for cell membranes, on a spherical microresonator is developed. Solid-supported lipid bilayers, which are approximately 5nm thick, have been shown to accurately model cell membranes, and researchers use lipid bilayers in combination with fluorescent microscopy when developing theoretical models for the transport of molecules across the cell membrane. The bilayer-nature is verified using both fluorescent resonance energy transfer and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The evanescent tail of the microresonator is used to excite a Cy5-conjugated lipid located within the bilayer while the underlying optical device behavior is characterized at 633nm and 980nm. The emission wavelength of the Cy5 dye and the optical performance (Q factor) of the microcavity agree with theoretical predictions.