Application of Biochip Microfluidic Technology to Detect Serum Allergen-specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE)

Allergic disease is common in both adults and children. Identification of the causative allergens is significant in disease management and prevention. However, a specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement system with a high price-performance ratio is lacking in mainland China, especially in the primary care hospitals. This paper describes the principle and operation procedures of using a microfluidic cartridge-based chemiluminescence system to detect allergen-specific IgE in serum. The results were compared with those from ImmunoCAP (System 1), the industrial standard, and the reproducibility of the system to detect patients sensitized to common allergens is evaluated. The results showed that in comparison with ImmunoCAP (System 1), the BioIC System (System 2) has good precision and sensitivity in detecting serum-specific IgE against various inhalant and food allergens but with a significantly lower cost. It can serve as a good alternative to System 1 in primary care hospitals in mainland China who have lower financial affordability.