Fiber-optic fluorescence reader for multiplex point-of-care monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics are crucial for timely medical decisions.
• Lateral flow assays (LFAs) offer a simple platform for diagnostics but often lack quantitative and multiplexing capabilities.
• Existing analytical methods for LFAs can be complex and require laboratory settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact, fiber-optic fluorescence reader for quantitative and multiplexed analysis of LFAs.
• To demonstrate the system's capability for therapeutic drug monitoring and biomarker detection at the point of care.
• To validate the reader-LFA system's performance against established laboratory methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dual-port fiber Bragg grating (FBG) spectrometer for spectral discrimination.
• Employed interchangeable excitation sources (400-800 nm) to support multiple fluorophores.
• Validated quantification of piperacillin in human serum using a europium nanoparticle-based competitive LFA.

Main Results:

• Achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 12.9 mg/L and a dynamic range of 10-500 mg/L for piperacillin.
• Demonstrated strong agreement with a laboratory reference method (Pearson's r = 0.95) and a mean absolute error of 22.9 mg/L.
• Successfully performed multiplex detection of opiate and cocaine markers on a single test line using distinct fluorophores.

Conclusions:

• The developed fiber-optic reader is a feasible platform for portable, spectrally resolved PoC diagnostics.
• The system supports quantitative, multiplexed analysis of LFAs for therapeutic drug monitoring and biomarker detection.
• This technology has potential applications in clinical settings and resource-limited environments.