Plasmon-based quantum sensing of plant diseases
This project aims to develop plasmon-based quantum biosensors for the early diagnosis of economically important plant diseases in South Africa. The sensors will exploit surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to detect refractive-index shifts caused by protein biomarkers binding to specific antibodies. The diagnostic protocol should be faster, cheaper, and more sensitive than standard diagnostic protocols for protein biomarkers such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and tailored for key plant pathogens that currently lack high-quality SPR sensors.