Contribution to a conference proceedings/Journal Article

FZJ-2026-02766

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Dielectric Characterization of Biomolecules in Ice Using a WGM Sensor

Chekubasheva, V. (Corresponding author)FZJ* ; Gubin, A. I. ; Barannik, A. A. ; Zhulai, D.FZJ* ; Glukhov, O. V. ; Cherpak, N. T. ; Vitusevich, S.FZJ*

2026
IEEE

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1109/GeMiC71240.2026.11516345

Abstract: The accurate detection of low-concentration biomolecules in a solution is necessary for the early diagnosis of a wide range of diseases. Whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators represent an ultra-highly sensitive method for the investigation of bioliquids. However, analysis of aqueous bioliquid solutions in the microwave and millimeter-wave ranges at room temperature is fundamentally limited by strong dielectric screening caused by the Debye relaxation of free water molecules, which screens the dielectric responses of biomolecules, such as proteins or amino acids. In this work, we introduce an approach that overcomes this limitation by studying aqueous solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and both neutral and charged amino acids in the frozen state using a microwave WGM resonator-based sensor with an integrated microfluidic channel. Freezing significantly suppresses the dielectric losses introduced by water, thereby reducing its shielding effect and increasing the contribution of the biomolecules in the resulting response. The results obtained confirm that low-temperature microwave WGM spectroscopy enables the sensitive detection and investigation of weak polarization mechanisms in amino acids and albumin solutions at nanoliter volumes.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Bioelektronik (IBI-3)

Research Program(s):

1. 5241 - Molecular Information Processing in Cellular Systems (POF4-524) (POF4-524)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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