Ligand-receptor binding kinetics in surface-plasmon resonance devices: A Monte Carlo simulation study*

We use lattice Monte-Carlo simulations to probe the kinetics of ligand-receptor association and dissociation. Simulations were run under conditions approximating the geometric configuration of surface plasmon resonance devices. These conditions include viscous flow of ligands over a surface of receptors which is achieved by using a spatially varying biased random walk. Our simulations allow for the occurrence of multiple rebinding events which result in strong deviations from the standard mean-field rate equation approximation. Our simulations also allow us to test improved theoretical predictions for the binding dynamics and to determine their range of applicability.