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Abstract
Widely recognized as the gold standard for biological recognition, antibodies have been used to develop bioscavengers, enzyme-like catalytic therapies, and highly specific diagnostic clinical tests. The discovery of camelid antibodies in the 1990s has extended the useful range of antibodies into pH extremes, high temperature, and high salt conditions due to increased stability. However, determining the binding properties of these molecules prior to use under these conditions has not been widely employed because the most precise biophysical methods, surface plasmon resonance, and isothermal titration calorimetry, are not compatible with highly complex matrices. Herein, we demonstrate the use of microscale thermophoresis as a rapid, simple method to detect binding of a single-domain antibody in the presence of jet fuel/water mixes; a complex, harsh environment. This work provides key data to quantifying binding for the development of a sensor for detection of microbial growth in fuel.