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Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation
Published on: September 19, 2017
Skin-interfaced microfluidic capsule and portable lab-on-a-disc platform for sweat-based monitoring of prenatal
Soongwon Cho1,2,3, Seongeun Son2,4,5, Haohui Zhang6
1Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Effective management of prenatal nutrient concentrations, such as those associated with folate, is critical for the health of the prospective mother and child, but quantifying them currently requires frequent blood tests and specialized laboratories. Human sweat is a non-invasive alternative to blood that is well suited for point-of-care biosensing. Here we present a skin-interfaced microcapsule that enables collection and storage of pristine, microlitre volumes of sweat and supports an efficient interface to a portable lab-on-a-disc platform for folate quantification. This platform automates an entire enzyme-linked immunoassay sequence for measuring folate in sweat, including incubation, washing, mixing and detection, and facilitates wireless data transmission. A series of tests in human participants reveal a dose-response relationship between oral intake of folate supplements and sweat folate levels, with a strong correlation in levels between sweat and serum. In addition, daily tracking of sweat folate concentrations shows clear differences between control periods without supplementation and daily intake periods. This technology creates possibilities for the routine use of sweat for precise point-of-care assessment of prenatal nutrient bioavailability.
Effective management of prenatal nutrient concentrations, such as those associated with folate, is critical for the health of the prospective mother and child, but quantifying them currently requires frequent blood tests and specialized laboratories. Human sweat is a non-invasive alternative to blood that is well suited for point-of-care biosensing. Here we present a skin-interfaced microcapsule that enables collection and storage of pristine, microlitre volumes of sweat and supports an efficient interface to a portable lab-on-a-disc platform for folate quantification. This platform automates an entire enzyme-linked immunoassay sequence for measuring folate in sweat, including incubation, washing, mixing and detection, and facilitates wireless data transmission. A series of tests in human participants reveal a dose-response relationship between oral intake of folate supplements and sweat folate levels, with a strong correlation in levels between sweat and serum. In addition, daily tracking of sweat folate concentrations shows clear differences between control periods without supplementation and daily intake periods. This technology creates possibilities for the routine use of sweat for precise point-of-care assessment of prenatal nutrient bioavailability.
