NSE protein detection in a microfluidic channel integrated an electrochemical biosensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Early lung cancer diagnosis is critical for patient survival.
• Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a potential biomarker for lung cancer.
• Current diagnostic methods can be time-consuming and require large sample volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid point-of-care microfluidic chip for NSE detection.
• To quantify NSE protein concentrations for early lung cancer diagnosis.
• To establish a foundation for a Lab-on-a-chip platform for NSE testing.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microfluidic chip with an integrated electrochemical biosensor in a PDMS microchannel.
• Deposition of silver and silver chloride layers on the reference electrode.
• Immobilization of NSE antibodies on the working electrode for specific protein detection.
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to measure surface impedance changes upon NSE binding.

Main Results:

• A direct correlation was observed between NSE concentration and surface impedance.
• Charge transfer resistance increased from 24.54 MΩ to 89.18 MΩ with NSE concentrations from 10 to 1000 ng/mL.
• A logarithmic equation was established to quantify NSE concentration based on charge transfer resistance.
• The limit of detection (LoD) for NSE was determined to be approximately 1.005 ng/mL.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic chip effectively detects and quantifies NSE proteins.
• The chip demonstrates potential for rapid, point-of-care lung cancer diagnosis.
• This technology provides a foundation for advanced Lab-on-a-chip diagnostic systems.