Point-of-Care Fluorescence Biosensing System for Rapid Multi-Allergen Screening

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Rising global allergy prevalence necessitates advanced diagnostic solutions.
• Current allergy testing can be time-consuming, invasive, or lack multiplexing capabilities.
• Need for rapid, precise, and less invasive methods for allergen-specific immunoglobulin-E (IgE) detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a miniatured, fluorescence-based biosensing system for rapid and quantitative detection of allergen-specific IgE.
• To enable multiplexed detection of common allergens using a small blood serum volume.
• To create a user-friendly system for point-of-care allergy screening.

Main Methods:

• Development of an antibody-based fluorescence assay on a microfluidic-patterned slide.
• Integration with a custom-made portable fluorescence reader and data analysis software.
• Multiplexed detection of IgE responses to birch, timothy grass, cat, house dust mite, and dog allergens.

Main Results:

• Quantitative detection of allergen-specific IgE in ~1 hour using only 80 μL of blood serum.
• Demonstrated multiplexed detection of responses to five common allergens.
• Results verified against control tests and a commercial fluorescence reader.

Conclusions:

• The developed biosensing system provides a rapid, quantitative, and less invasive method for allergy diagnosis.
• Enables point-of-care allergy screening for early diagnosis and broader access.
• Facilitates large-scale research in allergy and immune-mediated responses.