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Smartphone-based 3D-printed electrochemiluminescence enzyme biosensor for reagentless glucose quantification in real
Donato Calabria1, Elisa Lazzarini2, Andrea Pace2
1Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy; Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Aerospace Research (CIRI AEROSPACE), Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Baldassarre Canaccini 12, I-47121, Forlì, Italy.
This study presents a portable, 3D-printed biosensor for glucose detection using electrochemiluminescence (ECL). The device, utilizing carbon black-doped electrodes and a smartphone camera, offers a low-cost, sensitive platform for point-of-care diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Biosensors
- 3D Printing
- Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Background:
- Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables cost-effective fabrication of electrochemical devices for point-of-need and point-of-care testing.
- Electrochemical detection, particularly electrochemiluminescence (ECL), is valuable in clinical chemistry, but its integration with 3D-printed electrodes is limited.
- Existing ECL biosensors often lack portability and require complex instrumentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a portable, miniaturized, 3D-printed electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for glucose detection.
- To integrate 3D-printed electrodes with an ECL system for sensitive and selective analyte quantification.
- To create a user-friendly analytical platform suitable for point-of-care applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a two-electrode configuration biosensor using 3D printing with carbon black-doped polylactic acid (PLA).
- Utilized the luminol/H2O2 electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system for detection, powered by a standard battery.
- Incorporated luminol and glucose oxidase into an agarose hydrogel for reagent preloading, with detection via a smartphone camera.
Main Results:
- The 3D-printed ECL biosensor successfully detected hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose.
- Achieved a limit of detection for glucose as low as 60 μmol/L, with effective detection up to 5 mmol/L.
- Demonstrated satisfactory performance in analyzing real samples, including glucose saline solutions and artificial serum.
Conclusions:
- A portable and cost-effective 3D-printed ECL biosensor was successfully developed for glucose monitoring.
- The smartphone-based detection system enhances portability and accessibility for point-of-care testing.
- The platform shows significant potential for clinical diagnostics and can be extended to detect other analytes by coupling with different oxidases.
