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- Akhtar, Ahmad Saleem, et al.
(författare)
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A portable and low-cost centrifugal microfluidic platform for multiplexed colorimetric detection of protein biomarkers
- 2023
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Ingår i: Analytica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-2670 .- 1873-4324. ; 1245
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cytokines play a very important role in our immune system by acting as mediators to put up a coordinated defense against foreign elements in our body. Elevated levels of cytokines in the body can signal to an ongoing response of the immune system to some abnormality. Thus, the quantification of a panel of cytokines can provide valuable information regarding the diagnosis of specific diseases and state of overall health of an individual. Conventional Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is the gold-standard for quantification of cytokines, however the need for trained personnel and expensive equipment limits its application to centralized laboratories only. In this context, there is a lack of simple, low-cost and portable devices which can allow for quantification of panels of cytokines at point-of-care and/or resource limited settings.Here, we report the development of a versatile, low-cost and portable bead-based centrifugal microfluidic platform allowing for multiplexed detection of cytokines with minimal hands-on time and an integrated colorimetric signal readout without the need for any external equipment. As a model, multiplexed colorimetric quantification of three target cytokines i.e., Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was achieved in less than 30 min with limits of detection in ng/mL range. The developed platform was further evaluated using spiked-in plasma samples to test for matrix interference. The ease of use, low-cost and portability of the developed platform highlight its potential to serve as a sample-to-answer solution for detection of cytokine panels in resource limited settings.
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| 2. |
- Akhtar, Ahmad Saleem
(författare)
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Centrifugal microfluidics-based point of care diagnostics at resource limited settings
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Advancements in medical diagnostics have allowed us to understand the underlying mechanism and treat the root cause for many diseases which had been causing morbidity and mortality up until this point in human history. Furthermore, many of the standard diagnostic procedures have now been transformed to provide answers at or near the point-of-care. However, the effects of these positive developments have not trickled down to the parts of our society which are considered underdeveloped and lack the necessary infrastructure and facilities. Diagnostics in such resource limited settings still lag behind and fail to provide the requisite healthcare. In order to translate the diagnostic solutions designed for central laboratories to resource limited settings, there are certain challenges that need to be addressed, such as portability, reduction in cost and ease-of-use, while keeping the sensitivity and specificity at the required level. The work presented in this thesis focuses on addressing some of these issues by using microfluidics to develop diagnostic platforms that are suitable to be used in resource limited settings. In paper I, a very low-cost and simple centrifugal microfluidic platform was developed to be used in settings which do not have a reliable supply of electricity. The platform uses a smartphone as a source of power and the sensors of the phone for speed control.In paper II, a portable and low-cost diagnostic platform was developed for multiplexed detection of biomarkers based on centrifugal microfluidics. The platform uses colorimetric detection and a simple readout method which does not require a spectrophotometer for quantification.In paper III, a platform was developed for COVID-19 diagnostics which combines centrifugal microfluidics with a novel bead-based strategy for signal enhancement. The platform uses fluorescent detection with a smartphone readout and has the capability to process up to 20 samples at the same time.In paper IV, as a follow up of paper III, a more advanced platform was developed for COVID-19 diagnostics which allows the operator to carry out nucleic acid amplification in a completely automated manner, from adding the sample to getting the final result.In paper V, an alternative method for detection of SARS-CoV-2 was developed using electrochemical biosensing. This work combines the electrochemical technique with a flexible printed circuit board for a rapid, amplification-free and label-free detection of target SARS-CoV-2 sequences.
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