Inkjet-printed bioassays for direct reading with a multimode DVD/Blu-Ray optical drive

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Diagnostics
• Chemical Analysis
• Point-of-Care Testing

Background:

• Compact disc-based bioassays offer novel point-of-care (POC) tools for chemical analysis and biomedical diagnosis.
• Current fabrication methods rely on manual surface patterning and sample introduction, hindering high-throughput screening.
• There is a need for automated and scalable methods for preparing bioassay discs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt a conventional inkjet printer for the fabrication of bioassays on regular DVD-Rs.
• To demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of using a DVD/Blu-Ray optical drive for quantitative analysis of these bioassays.
• To establish a cost-effective and high-throughput platform for medical screening.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a standard inkjet printer to pattern bioassays directly onto DVD-Rs.
• Employed a multimode DVD/Blu-Ray optical drive for reading and quantifying assay results.
• Developed or utilized free disc diagnostic software for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated quantitative analysis of inkjet-printed biotin-streptavidin binding assays on DVD-Rs.
• Validated the accuracy and feasibility of the DVD-based bioassay platform.
• Showcased the potential for adapting this method to complex immunoassays.

Conclusions:

• Inkjet printing on DVD-Rs provides a viable, automated method for fabricating bioassay discs.
• DVD/Blu-Ray optical drives coupled with diagnostic software enable accurate, quantitative analysis for POC applications.
• This approach offers a promising, scalable solution for high-throughput medical screening and diagnostics.