Abstract
Protein biomarkers are indicators of many diseases and are commonly used for disease diagnosis and prognosis prediction in the clinic. The urgent need for point-of-care (POC) detection of protein biomarkers has promoted the development of automated and fully sealed immunoassay platforms. In this study, a portable microfluidic system was established for the POC detection of multiple protein biomarkers by combining a protein microarray for a multiplex immunoassay and a microfluidic cassette for reagent storage and liquid manipulation. The entire procedure for the immunoassay was automatically conducted, which included the antibody–antigen reaction, washing and detection. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carcinoma antigen 125 (CA125) were simultaneously detected in this system within 40 min with limits of detection of 0.303 ng/mL, 1.870 ng/mL, and 18.617 U/mL, respectively. Five clinical samples were collected and tested, and the results show good correlations compared to those measured by the commercial instrument in the hospital. The immunoassay cassette system can function as a versatile platform for the rapid and sensitive multiplexed detection of biomarkers; therefore, it has great potential for POC diagnostics.
Highlights
Protein biomarkers are indicators of many diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and infectious diseases, playing a critical role in the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases in clinical practice [1–4]
The routine method used for the multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers is enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or the ELISA-derived sandwich-type immunoassay in multi-well plates or multiple tubes
The channel and reaction chamber of the cassette were blocked with PBST containing 2% Bovine serum albumin (BSA)
Summary
Protein biomarkers are indicators of many diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and infectious diseases, playing a critical role in the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases in clinical practice [1–4]. For the accurate diagnosis of cervical cancer at a curable stage, a combination of protein biomarkers is measured, including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), serum fragments of cytokeratin (CYFRA), carcinoma embryonic antigen (CEA) and soluble CD44 (sCD44) [8]. The simultaneous determination of a panel of protein biomarkers can significantly improve the specificity and accuracy of the diagnosis. The establishment of a multiplexed analytical method with good specificity, sensitivity and speed for the determination of protein biomarkers is one of the most important needs in clinical diagnosis. The routine method used for the multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers is ELISA or the ELISA-derived sandwich-type immunoassay in multi-well plates or multiple tubes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
