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Updated: Jul 7, 2025
Using Extraordinary Optical Transmission to Quantify Cardiac Biomarkers in Human Serum
Published on: December 13, 2017
Hollow-microsphere-integrated optofluidic immunochip for myocardial infarction biomarker microanalysis
Panpan Niu1, Junfeng Jiang1, Kun Liu1
1School of Precision Instrument and Opto-electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Opto-electronics Information Technology (Tianjin University), Key Laboratory of Micro Opto-electro Mechanical System Technology (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300072, China; Tianjin Optical Fiber Sensing Engineering Center, Institute of Optical Fiber Sensing of Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
Insights
This study presents a novel optofluidic immunochip for rapid cardiac troponin I detection, aiding acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis. The device offers ultra-low sample consumption and results in 15 minutes for early risk management.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Optofluidics
- Biosensing
Background:
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) requires rapid and sensitive biomarker detection.
- Existing diagnostic methods can be time-consuming and require large sample volumes.
- Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a critical biomarker for diagnosing AMI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an optofluidic immunochip for rapid and sensitive detection of cardiac troponin I.
- To enhance detection performance using fiber laser technology.
- To enable point-of-care applications for early AMI risk management.
Main Methods:
- Development of an optofluidic immunochip utilizing whispering gallery mode and fiber laser enhancement.
- Immobilization of antibodies on perforated hollow glass microspheres (HGMS) for ultra-low sample consumption.
- Integration of the immunosensor on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate.
Main Results:
- Achieved spectral width compression to 0.019 nm and optical signal-to-noise ratio amplification to 63.17 dB.
- Enhanced limit of detection to 5 pg/mL for cardiac troponin I.
- Provided diagnostic results within 15 minutes with an 88% recognition rate for positive patients.
Conclusions:
- The developed optofluidic immunochip enables rapid, sensitive, and low-sample-volume detection of cardiac troponin I.
- The technology is suitable for point-of-care devices and early AMI self-screening.
- Offers potential for microanalysis of various biomarkers and disease screening.
Abstract:
This work developed an optofluidic immunochip that uses whispering gallery mode with fiber laser enhancement, for the rapid detection of a key biomarker cardiac troponin I for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The immunochip adopted an innovative design, using perforated hollow glass microspheres (HGMS) as carriers, with antibodies immobilized on the inner surface of the HGMS, thereby achieving ultra-low sample consumption. The performance of the immunochip was improved by fiber laser, including spectral width compression to 0.019 nm, optical signal-to-noise ratio amplification to 63.17 dB, and an enhancement in the limit of detection to 5 pg/mL. Moreover, this immunochip can provide results within 15 min, making it highly suitable for early AMI risk management. Compared to the standard electrochemiluminescence detection method, although some differences exist in the results of the immunochip due to the principle of detection and differences in antibody affinity, its positive reference value can be calculated as 0.0754 ng/mL, with a successful recognition rate of 88% for positive patients. The immunosensor is integrated on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate, with a compact size suitable for use in point-of-care devices and AMI self-screening, as well as rapid disease screening and microanalysis of various biomarkers, offering new possibilities for applications in these fields.
