On-chip detection of myoglobin based on fluorescence

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Immunosensor Technology

Background:

• Early assessment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is critical for patient survival.
• Myoglobin is a valuable biomarker for diagnosing AMI.
• Existing diagnostic methods may lack the speed and accessibility required for early assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a disposable immunosensor cartridge for sensitive and rapid detection of myoglobin.
• To utilize fluorescence techniques for quantifying myoglobin levels.
• To establish a platform for potential simultaneous detection of multiple cardiac markers.

Main Methods:

• Immobilization of anti-myoglobin antibodies onto a polystyrene substrate via covalent bonding and silanization.
• Fabrication of immunosensor chip layers using CO(2)-laser ablation.
• Characterization of functionalized surfaces using contact angle measurement, XPS, and AFM.
• Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with HRP-conjugated secondary antibody and fluorogenic substrate.
• On-chip fluorescence quantification.

Main Results:

• The immunosensor demonstrated a linear response for myoglobin concentrations ranging from 20 to 230 ng/ml (r=0.991).
• A low detection limit of 16 ng/ml was achieved, below the clinical cut-off for healthy patients.
• Successful on-chip quantification of myoglobin using fluorescence detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed disposable immunosensor cartridge offers a sensitive and reliable method for myoglobin detection.
• This technology shows promise for early assessment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
• The platform is adaptable for multiplexed detection of other cardiac biomarkers in microchannels.