Surface modification for enhancing antibody binding on polymer-based microfluidic device for enzyme-linked...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic devices are widely used for immunoassays.
• Enhancing antibody immobilization on PMMA surfaces is crucial for improving assay performance.
• Current methods face limitations in sensitivity, speed, and reagent consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel surface treatment for PMMA microfluidic devices to enhance antibody binding.
• To improve the sensitivity, reliability, and efficiency of microfluidic immunoassays.
• To investigate the role of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) in surface modification for antibody immobilization.

Main Methods:

• Surface treatment of PMMA microchannels with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI).
• Comparison of antibody binding capacity on PEI-treated vs. untreated PMMA surfaces.
• Evaluation of immunoassay performance, including sensitivity, dynamic range, and assay time, for IgG detection.

Main Results:

• PEI treatment increased active antibody binding by 10-fold compared to untreated or hexamethylenediamine (HMD)-treated surfaces.
• PEI surface modification significantly improved immunoassay sensitivity and reliability for IgG detection.
• Microfluidic devices exhibited a 10-fold faster antibody adsorption time and a wider dynamic detection range (5-1000 ng/mL) than 96-well plates.

Conclusions:

• PEI surface modification is an effective strategy to enhance antibody immobilization on PMMA microfluidic devices.
• The developed method offers a significant improvement in immunoassay performance, leading to increased sensitivity and reduced assay time.
• PMMA-based microchips with PEI treatment show great potential for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), reducing reagent use and assay duration compared to conventional methods.