Integrated microfluidic device for serum biomarker quantitation using either standard addition or a calibration curve

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate quantitation of biomarkers like alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is vital for early cancer detection.
• Microfluidic devices offer advantages in sample and reagent efficiency but often rely on calibration curves for quantification.
• Quantifying biomarkers in complex matrices like human serum presents analytical challenges for microfluidic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an integrated polymer microfluidic system for quantitative determination of AFP in human serum.
• To assess the performance of the microfluidic system using both standard addition and calibration curve methods.
• To evaluate the potential of the developed system for point-of-care biomarker analysis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of integrated polymer microfluidic systems.
• Coupling of immunoaffinity purification with microchip electrophoresis.
• Automated voltage control and laser-induced fluorescence detection.
• Quantification of AFP using standard addition and calibration curves in human serum.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic system successfully quantified fluorescently labeled AFP in human serum.
• Detection limits of approximately 1 ng/mL were achieved with minimal sample volumes (approx. 10 microL).
• Quantification was performed within tens of minutes, demonstrating rapid analysis capabilities.

Conclusions:

• Integrated polymer microfluidic systems can accurately quantify AFP in human serum.
• The developed microsystems offer a rapid, simple, and precise method for biomarker quantitation.
• These systems hold significant potential for application in point-of-care diagnostic settings.