An integrated biosensor platform for extraction and detection of nucleic acids

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Portable nucleic acid (NA) analysis systems are vital for advancing biosensing and future healthcare.
• Integrating NA extraction, purification, and detection modules using microfluidics is key for portable diagnostic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an integrated biosensor platform using silicon-plastic hybrid lab-on-disk technology.
• To demonstrate the platform's capability in managing NA extraction, purification, and detection processes in an integrated format.

Main Methods:

• Utilized solid-phase extraction with magnetic beads on a plastic disk for sample preparation.
• Employed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) on a miniaturized silicon device for detection.
• Actuated sample and reagent movement via centrifugal force using a disk actuator instrument.

Main Results:

• Successfully managed integrated NA extraction, purification, and detection using hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA as a target.
• Achieved improved sensitivity in qRT-PCR quantification compared to commercial platforms, optimizing time and cost.
• Demonstrated comparable performance to standard methods using real patient samples (serum with spiked HBV genome).

Conclusions:

• The developed hybrid lab-on-disk biosensor platform offers an efficient and sensitive solution for portable nucleic acid analysis.
• The system shows potential for cost-effective and rapid point-of-care diagnostics, particularly for infectious diseases like HBV.
• Further optimization suggests enhanced performance for future healthcare applications.