Micromolar Metabolite Measurement in an Electronically Multiplexed Format.

Area of Science:

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

Background:

• Accurate detection of low-concentration metabolites such as choline in blood is crucial for managing cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
• Current methods for metabolite quantification are often complex and not suitable for affordable point-of-care applications.
• Integrating microfluidics with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology presents a promising avenue for advanced diagnostics but faces integration challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, cost-effective, single-step process for integrating microfluidics onto CMOS technology.
• To create a metabolomics-on-CMOS point-of-care platform for metabolite detection.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of this integrated platform for quantifying choline in human blood plasma.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microfluidic device featuring four capillary channels integrated onto a CMOS optical sensor array.
• Characterization of the fabricated device to assess structural integrity, mechanical strength, optical properties, and fluid flow dynamics.
• In-vitro quantification of choline in human blood plasma using the developed point-of-care platform.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of microfluidics onto a CMOS optical sensor array.
• Verification of the device's structural profile, mechanical strength, optical spectra, and fluid flow.
• Demonstration of in-vitro choline quantification in human blood plasma with a limit of detection of 3.2 μM and a resolution of 1.6 μM.

Conclusions:

• The integration of microfluidics with CMOS technology offers a viable pathway for developing advanced sensing platforms.
• This novel approach enables cost-effective, single-step fabrication for point-of-care devices.
• The developed platform has the potential for sensitive clinical metabolite measurements, including choline, at the point of care.