A centrifugal fluidic immunoassay for ocular diagnostics with an enzymatically hydrolyzed fluorogenic substrate

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Ophthalmology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are leading causes of vision loss.
• Accurate measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial for managing these conditions.
• Current diagnostic methods can be time-consuming and require extensive sample preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel Lab-on-a-Disk platform for rapid and sensitive VEGF measurement.
• To assess the platform's utility in diagnosing and guiding treatment for DR and AMD.
• To provide a faster, more accessible diagnostic tool for ocular VEGF levels.

Main Methods:

• A Lab-on-a-Disk system utilizing centrifugal force for microsphere separation and washing.
• Enzyme-based signal amplification with a fluorogenic substrate for sensitive detection.
• Single-channel assay format for simplified workflow and reduced reagent consumption.

Main Results:

• The platform demonstrated rapid readout times of 16-18 minutes.
• Sensitivity comparable to conventional Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was achieved.
• The system requires minimal sample preparation, involving only reagent mixing and disk loading.

Conclusions:

• The Lab-on-a-Disk platform offers a fast, sensitive, and user-friendly method for ocular VEGF quantification.
• This technology has the potential to optimize anti-VEGF medication dosing for DR and AMD patients.
• It can also help identify patients who may not benefit from current anti-VEGF therapies, improving treatment efficacy.