Liposome-Enhanced Lateral-Flow Assays for Clinical Analyses

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Immunotechnology

Background:

• Clinical diagnostics require rapid, simple, and cost-effective point-of-care tests.
• Lateral-flow assays (LFAs) are well-suited for field applications, commonly using colloidal gold or latex beads for signal generation.
• Myoglobin is an early indicator of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), valuable for rapid diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a semiquantitative lateral-flow assay (LFA) biosensor for myoglobin detection in whole blood.
• To explore the use of dye-encapsulating liposomes as a highly visible signal generation alternative in LFAs.
• To provide a rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tool for early heart attack assessment.

Main Methods:

• A sandwich immunoassay format was employed for myoglobin detection.
• The assay utilized membrane-immobilized capture monoclonal antibodies against myoglobin.
• Detector biotinylated monoclonal antibodies and streptavidin-conjugated, sulforhodamine B-dye-encapsulating liposomes were used for signal generation.

Main Results:

• The developed LFA biosensor successfully detects myoglobin in whole blood.
• Dye-encapsulating liposomes provided a highly visible signal for semiquantitative assessment.
• The assay format is suitable for rapid, on-site analysis, complementing laboratory diagnostics.

Conclusions:

• Dye-encapsulating liposomes offer a promising alternative for signal generation in LFAs.
• This myoglobin LFA provides a valuable tool for the early assessment of acute myocardial infarction.
• The developed biosensor supports rapid clinical decision-making in emergency settings.