A microfluidic paper-based electrochemical biosensor array for multiplexed detection of metabolic biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Paper-based microfluidic devices offer a low-cost platform for analytical testing.
• Multiplexed detection of metabolic biomarkers is crucial for comprehensive health assessment.
• Existing paper-based electrochemical devices often lack multi-analyte detection capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a microfluidic paper-based electrochemical biosensor array for simultaneous detection of multiple metabolic biomarkers.
• To evaluate the analytical performance of the developed biosensor array for clinically relevant analytes.
• To enable rapid, cost-efficient, and high-density diagnostic information acquisition at the point of care.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a paper-based microfluidic device featuring an array of eight electrochemical sensors.
• Integration of a custom-made handheld electrochemical reader (potentiostat) for signal acquisition.
• Demonstration of simultaneous detection of glucose, lactate, and uric acid in urine samples.

Main Results:

• The biosensor array successfully detected multiple analytes (glucose, lactate, uric acid) in a single run.
• Analytical performance was comparable to existing commercial and paper-based platforms.
• The device enabled multiple measurements per analyte from a single sample.

Conclusions:

• The developed paper-based biosensor array provides a powerful tool for multiplexed metabolic biomarker detection.
• The system enables rapid, cost-efficient, and statistically meaningful diagnostic information acquisition.
• This technology has the potential to significantly advance point-of-care diagnostics.