A fully integrated microfluidic platform for highly sensitive analysis of immunochemical parameters.

Area of Science:

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

Background:

• Current point-of-care diagnostic methods often lack the sensitivity and integration required for early disease detection.
• Immunoassays are crucial for diagnosing various conditions, but often require complex laboratory equipment and trained personnel.
• There is a need for user-friendly, highly sensitive, and integrated diagnostic platforms for decentralized healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a fully integrated centrifugal microfluidic platform for sensitive immunoassays.
• To demonstrate the platform's capability for rapid detection of cardiac biomarkers at diagnostic-relevant concentrations.
• To assess the platform's compatibility with mass production and its potential for point-of-care applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a centrifugal microfluidic cartridge with integrated reagent storage, sample processing, and washing buffer aliquoting.
• Implementation of two distinct immunoassays for cardiac markers Troponin T and NT-proBNP.
• Validation using whole blood samples from human donors and comparison with a state-of-the-art laboratory analyzer.

Main Results:

• Successful detection of Troponin T with a functional sensitivity of 7.55 ng/L in 11 minutes using only 30 μL of whole blood.
• Detection of NT-proBNP within 12 minutes, demonstrating capability for high-titer analytes.
• Excellent correlation between the microfluidic platform results and a standard laboratory analyzer, confirming accuracy and reliability.

Conclusions:

• The novel integrated centrifugal microfluidic platform offers a sensitive, rapid, and user-friendly solution for point-of-care immunoassays.
• The platform's design, utilizing injection-molded cartridges and compatible components, supports scalability for mass production.
• This technology has significant potential to improve cardiac marker diagnostics in decentralized and point-of-care settings.