Two-stage capture employing active transport enables sensitive and fast biosensors.

Nanoscale sensors enable the detection of analytes with improved signal-to-noise ratio but suffer from mass transport limitations. Molecular shuttles, assembled from, e.g., antibody-functionalized microtubules and kinesin motor proteins, can selectively capture analytes from solution and deliver the analytes to a sensor patch. This two-stage process can accelerate mass transport to nanoscale biosensors and facilitate the rapid detection of analytes. Here, the possible increase of the signal-to-noise ratio is calculated, and the optimal layout of a system which integrates active transport is determined.