Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Development of a Lateral Flow Immunochromatographic Strip for Rapid and Quantitative Detection of Small Molecule Compounds
Published on: November 13, 2021
Touchpad-based immunochromatographic strip for detecting the skin surface proteins
Hyugo Tsukada1, Mai Wako2, Syunsuke Ueda1
1Graduate School of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, 992-8510, Yonezawa, Yamagata, Japan.
Insights
This study introduces a novel touchpad immunosensor for non-invasive skin protein detection. This biosensor utilizes an immunochromatographic strip to detect skin surface proteins, aiding in diagnosing skin integrity.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Immunotechnology
- Biosensor Development
Background:
- Non-invasive diagnostic methods are crucial for monitoring human skin health.
- Current methods for assessing skin surface proteins can be invasive or lack sensitivity.
- Developing accessible biosensors for real-time skin analysis is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the proof-of-concept for a novel touchpad-based immunosensor.
- To develop a non-invasive method for extracting and detecting skin surface proteins.
- To assess the potential of this biosensor for diagnosing human skin integrity.
Main Methods:
- A touchpad-based immunochromatographic strip was designed using a nitrocellulose membrane with anti-human IgG capture antibodies.
- A glass fiber membrane impregnated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) facilitated protein extraction without direct skin contact.
- Skin surface IgG detection involved sequential steps of skin contact and visualization with Au-nanoparticle-labeled secondary antibodies.
Main Results:
- The novel immunosensor successfully extracted and detected skin surface proteins non-invasively.
- Qualitative demonstration confirmed protein detection using a minimal amount of PBS and contact with the skin.
- The method proved effective even with a relatively low-sensitivity immunochromatographic chip.
Conclusions:
- A novel touchpad immunosensor offers a viable approach for non-invasive skin surface protein detection.
- This biosensor technology shows promise for the diagnosis of human skin integrity.
- The developed immunosensor represents a significant advancement in non-invasive biosensing applications.
Abstract:
This study demonstrates, for the first time, the proof-of-concept of a novel immunosensor, a touchpad-based immunochromatographic strip, that non-invasively extracts and detects skin surface proteins. The strip was composed of a nitrocellulose membrane at the center, where a spot of anti-human IgG capture antibody was physically adsorbed. The capture antibody spot was covered with a glass fiber membrane impregnated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to extract skin surface proteins, avoiding direct contact of the human skin with the capture antibodies. Skin surface IgG was detected in two steps: (1) touching the capture antibody via a glass fiber membrane containing PBS, and (2) dipping the strip into the Au-nanoparticle-labeled secondary antibody to visualize the existence of the captured skin surface IgG on the strip. We qualitatively demonstrated that using a very small amount of PBS while maintaining contact with the skin, skin surface proteins can be concentrated and detected, even with a relatively low-sensitivity immunochromatographic chip. This sensor is expected to be a potential biosensor for the non-invasive diagnosis of the integrity of human skin.
