2023-07-31 15:45:32
A device that combines paper microfluidics, electrochemical transduction, and magnetic nanoparticle immunoassays is capable of detecting inflammation biomarkers in sputum samples, useful for easy and rapid diagnosis of lung diseases.
The development is the result of collaboration between the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB), attached to the National Center for Electronics (CNM) of the CSIC in Spain, the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) of the CSIC, the Health Research Institute Balearic Islands (IdISBa), the Department of Chemical Engineering of the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia), the Center for Networked Biomedical Research (CIBER-BBN), from Spain, the Physics Center (Universidade do Minho – Universidade do Porto ( CF-UM-UP)) from Portugal and the company Cellvax, SAS from France.
“This is a compact, cheap, and easy-to-use device that simultaneously measures three biomarkers in sputum, whose levels are altered in patients with more severe episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” says César Fernández- Sánchez, coordinator of the work and researcher at the IMB.
The device consists of a matrix of electrochemical cells integrated into a chip and a paper component incorporated into a methacrylate cartridge, and allows the simultaneous determination of three inflammatory biomarkers, interleukin-8 (IL-8), necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and the enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO). The concentration of these markers in sputum would help early detection of different stages of COPD.
Paper component incorporated in a methacrylate cartridge. (Photo: Dani Ortega (IMB))
Currently, COPD is the third leading cause of mortality in the world and is detected by a spirometry respiratory function test. In low- and middle-income countries it is not usually available, causing the mortality rate from this disease to be high and 90% of deaths occurring in patients under 70 years of age, according to data from the World Health Organization. .
“The versatility of the diagnostic technology presented can be easily adapted to the detection of other target biomarkers, such as specific RNA sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus”, as pointed out by Manuel Gutiérrez-Capitán, IMB researcher and co-author. of the study.
Fernández-Sánchez, Gutiérrez-Capitán and their colleagues present the technical details of their device in the academic journal ACS Sensors, under the title “Engineering a Point-of-Care Paper-Microfluidic Electrochemical Device Applied to the Multiplexed Quantitative Detection of Biomarkers in Sputum ”. (Source: Sabela Rey Cao / IMB / CNM / CSIC)
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