A conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-silver nanoparticle platform for DNA-sensing applications is fabricated (see figure), which provides over 17-fold enhancement of dye emission intensity, as compared to the intrinsic dye emission observed atop a conventional glass surface. Examination of the distance-dependence amplification process reveals that the role of the silver nanoparticles is to increase the effective field experienced by the light-harvesting CPE, and the metal enhanced fluorescence of the CPE could be translated into higher dye signal intensities for the detection platform.