An automated and portable magnetically-controlled microfluidic chip platform with dual detection modes for sensitive...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) relies on sensitive immunoassays.
• Conventional ELISA methods face limitations in sensitivity, speed, and complexity, hindering early detection of low-abundance biomarkers.
• Microfluidic technology offers advantages in reagent efficiency, reaction control, and portability for on-site screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a portable, automated microfluidic device for sensitive and rapid immunoassay processing.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional diagnostic methods for early hepatocellular carcinoma detection.
• To enable on-site screening with enhanced accessibility, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• Development of a portable microfluidic chip integrated with an algorithm-driven stepper motor and magnetic bead manipulation.
• Automated bead capture, transport, and multi-step immunoreaction sequences without manual intervention.
• Utilized alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as a model biomarker for performance evaluation in colorimetric and chemiluminescent modes.

Main Results:

• The device achieved a detection limit of 119.43 ng/mL in colorimetric mode and 3.66 ng/mL in chemiluminescent mode for AFP.
• Demonstrated feasibility of automated, multi-step immunoassay processing in a compact point-of-care format.
• Significantly reduced assay duration and procedural complexity compared to conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic platform enables rapid, sensitive, and automated biomarker screening for early disease diagnosis.
• This technology addresses key deficiencies in hepatocellular carcinoma screening, improving patient prognosis and survival.
• Offers a promising solution for democratizing advanced diagnostic capabilities in resource-limited environments.