An Electromechanical Lab-on-a-Chip Platform for Colorimetric Detection of Serum Creatinine
Betul Karakuzu1, Ergun Alperay Tarim1, Cemre Oksuz1
1Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir 35430, Turkey.
Insights
This study presents a new lab-on-a-chip device for at-home monitoring of serum creatinine levels. The platform enables rapid, low-cost detection of kidney function markers, aiding early chronic kidney disease intervention.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 1 in 10 globally, necessitating frequent monitoring.
- Current serum creatinine tests are unsuitable for convenient at-home monitoring, hindering early CKD intervention.
- Developing accessible point-of-care diagnostics is crucial for managing CKD progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel electromechanical lab-on-a-chip platform for serum creatinine detection.
- To enable point-of-care, automated, and low-cost measurement of kidney function markers.
- To facilitate frequent monitoring of chronic kidney disease patients.
Main Methods:
- Development of an electromechanical lab-on-a-chip device utilizing colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
- Integration of microreservoirs, a creatinine-specific antibody-coated stirring bar, and smartphone-based color detection.
- Automated stirring and sample analysis within the chip for creatinine capture and quantification.
Main Results:
- The platform achieved automated creatinine analysis in approximately 50 minutes.
- Detection limits were approximately 1 mg/dL in PBS and 2 mg/dL in FBS.
- Smartphone color analysis in HSV space demonstrated sensitive detection comparable to a spectrophotometer.
Conclusions:
- The developed lab-on-a-chip platform offers a sensitive, low-cost solution for point-of-care serum creatinine detection.
- This technology can significantly improve at-home monitoring of kidney function, supporting early intervention in CKD.
- The system's automation and smartphone integration pave the way for accessible CKD management tools.
Abstract:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a high-cost disease that affects approximately one in ten people globally, progresses rapidly, results in kidney failure or dialysis, and triggers other diseases. Although clinically used serum creatinine tests are used to evaluate kidney functions, these tests are not suitable for frequent and regular control at-home settings that obstruct the regular monitoring of kidney functions, improving CKD management with early intervention. This study introduced a new electromechanical lab-on-a-chip platform for point-of-care detection of serum creatinine levels using colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The platform was composed of a chip containing microreservoirs, a stirring bar coated with creatinine-specific antibodies, and a phone to detect color generated via ELISA protocols to evaluate creatinine levels. An electromechanical system was used to move the stirring bar to different microreservoirs and stir it inside them to capture and detect serum creatinine in the sample. The presented platform allowed automated analysis of creatinine in ∼50 min down to ∼1 and ∼2 mg/dL in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and fetal bovine serum (FBS), respectively. Phone camera measurements in hue, saturation, value (HSV) space showed sensitive analysis compared to a benchtop spectrophotometer that could allow low-cost analysis at point-of-care.
