Microfluidic Chips for Sepsis Diagnosis.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Sepsis diagnosis traditionally relies on blood cultures, which are time-consuming and can have limitations.
• Early and accurate sepsis detection is critical for effective patient management and improved outcomes.
• Existing biomarker assays may lack the sensitivity or speed required for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate microfluidic-based approaches for early and accurate sepsis detection.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of single and multiparameter biomarker panels.
• To assess the potential of microfluidic technology for point-of-care sepsis diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Development of single-parameter and multiparameter microfluidic chips for sepsis detection.
• Utilized patient blood samples to validate chip performance.
• Analyzed biomarker expression including CD64, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), CD25, and CD69.

Main Results:

• The single-parameter chip showed increased accuracy using CD64 compared to CRP and PCT alone.
• A multiparameter chip measuring CD25, CD64, and CD69 achieved a high Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC) of 0.978.
• The combined panel detected culture-negative sepsis and offered faster diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Microfluidic approaches offer significant advantages including speed, portability, and reduced complexity for sepsis detection.
• The developed multiparameter microfluidic chip demonstrates high accuracy and potential for early sepsis diagnosis.
• This technology holds promise for becoming a valuable bedside diagnostic tool for sepsis.