Hierarchically structured microchip for point-of-care immunoassays with dynamic detection ranges

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Chemistry
• Immunotechnology

Background:

• Point-of-care (POC) medical assays are crucial for guiding clinical therapy, especially in resource-limited settings and hospital specialty departments.
• Current automated POC assays often struggle with multiplexed biomarker detection requiring a large dynamic range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automated point-of-care assay capable of multiplexed biomarker detection with a wide dynamic range.
• To introduce the dynamic multiplexed immunoassay (DMI) for simultaneous detection of multiple infection biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Developed a dynamic multiplexed immunoassay (DMI) by controlling capture antibody concentrations and readout signal intensity.
• Dynamically modulated the detection range from pg mL⁻¹ to μg mL⁻¹ for immunoassays.
• Tested the DMI assay using undiluted human serum samples.

Main Results:

• Successfully achieved simultaneous, multiplexed detection of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin 6 (IL-6).
• Demonstrated a broad dynamic detection range (pg mL⁻¹ to μg mL⁻¹) suitable for various biomarker concentrations.
• Validated the assay's ability to detect infection markers accurately in patient serum samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed DMI assay is automated, suitable for multiplexed biomarker detection, and offers a wide dynamic range.
• This POC assay enables rapid and accurate detection of infection in patients, improving clinical decision-making.