Biofunctional Interface Integrated Multilayer SPR Biosensor for Precise Detection of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Early detection of skin cancer is significant in enhancing the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment. This is especially important in the case of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which is the most common type of skin cancer. In this research, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensor for the detection of cancer-affected basal cells through the detection of changes in the refractive index (RI) is proposed. The proposed biosensor is a multilayer structure of CsF/TiO₂/Ag/CaTiO₃/BP/PEG/anti-BerEP4 based on the Kretschmann configuration. Each layer is carefully selected to enhance plasmon excitation, strengthen electric field confinement, and improve biomolecular interaction efficiency at the sensing interface. The proposed structure consists of a BP layer, which is functionalized with PEG and anti-BerEP4. PEG and anti-BerEP4 are used to create the bioselective surface. The optical properties of the proposed structure are calculated by the TMM at 633 nm. The results obtained from the proposed structure are validated by employing the FEM and FDTD simulations. The proposed multilayer structure shows a considerable change in the angle of incidence with a small change in the refractive index. From the obtained results, it is clear that the proposed SPR biosensor device has a sensitivity of 365.30 deg/RIU, a quality factor of 131.26 RIU⁻¹, a detection accuracy of 0.359 deg⁻¹, and a figure of merit of 120.12. The obtained results confirm that the proposed SPR biosensor device has a clear and stable resonant angle change with increased interaction between light and matter. Therefore, it ensures the reliability of the proposed biosensor device in detecting BCC with promising future applications.

Keywords

anti-BerEP4 / basal cell / FDTD / PEG / surface plasmon resonance / TMM

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2026 The Author(s). Electron published by Harbin Institute of Technology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.