Single Microbead Floating/Sinking-Enabled Digital Biosensing.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Biosensing Technology

Background:

• Digital bioassays offer high sensitivity for biomarker analysis but are limited to central labs due to complex requirements.
• Existing methods necessitate specialized equipment, sealed microchambers, and trained personnel, restricting broader application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce dMSink, a novel, mix-and-read digital biosensing platform.
• To develop a user-friendly and broadly applicable biosensing solution for ultrasensitive biomarker quantification.

Main Methods:

• dMSink utilizes a microbead (MB) floating/sinking mechanism with a critical density.
• Target molecule binding induces a force (e.g., magnetic) causing MBs to sink.
• Quantification is achieved by counting sunken MBs using a conventional microscope.

Main Results:

• The dMSink platform enables ultrasensitive biomarker quantification.
• The system simplifies the implementation of digital bioassays.
• Compatibility with general biolabs and in-field testing was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• dMSink significantly enhances the speed and sensitivity of digital bioassays.
• The platform democratizes advanced biomarker analysis, making it accessible beyond central laboratories.
• dMSink facilitates facile, in-field, multiplexed diagnostics.