Applied Mathematics Colloquium

Scientists currently study biosensor experiments which involve multiple interacting components on the sensor surface. We discuss a partial differential equation model for multiple-component reactions in optical biosensors. Thanks to high Peclet number flow, this model reduces to a set of nonlinear integrodifferential equations for the reacting species concentrations, which in turn reduces to a set of ordinary differential equations which can be used to measure rate constants using biosensor data. We conclude by discussing recent developments on a related problem concerning instruments involved in creating personalized medicine.