Abstract
A 3D-printed microfluidic device was designed and manufactured using a low cost ($2000) consumer grade fusion deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer. FDM printers are not typically used, or are capable, of producing the fine detailed structures required for microfluidic fabrication. However, in this work, the optical transparency of the device was improved through manufacture optimisation to such a point that optical colorimetric assays can be performed in a 50 µl device. A colorimetric enzymatic cascade assay was optimised using glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase for the oxidative coupling of aminoantipyrine and chromotropic acid to produce a blue quinoneimine dye with a broad absorbance peaking at 590 nm for the quantification of glucose in solution. For comparison the assay was run in standard 96 well plates with a commercial plate reader. The results show the accurate and reproducible quantification of 0–10 mM glucose solution using a 3D-printed microfluidic optical device with performance comparable to that of a plate reader assay.
Highlights
The increasing burden being placed on health care services by an aging population, obesity epidemic and diabetes epidemic [1] is creating a necessity for point-of-care testing for serious pathologies such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes [2]
Glucose assay reagent solution was made by dissolving chromotropic acid (CTA), 4-AAP, glucose oxidase (0–50 units ml−1) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (0–10 units ml−1) in the PBS solution
Glucose assay reagent solution was made by dissolving CTA, 4-AAP, glucose oxidase (20 units ml−1) and HRP (6 units ml−1) in a PBS solution
Summary
The increasing burden being placed on health care services by an aging population, obesity epidemic and diabetes epidemic [1] is creating a necessity for point-of-care testing for serious pathologies such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes [2]. The advance of solid freeform fabrication techniques, such as 3D-printing, has significantly improved the ability to prepare solid structures with precise geometries [6], including internal cavities, facilitating the rapid production of analytical platforms and the ability to alter or redesign any aspect without. The rapid advancement of lowend 3D printing technology is due largely to the development of free and open source software and hardware development [7]. There is a large library of freely available CAD models, which provides shortcuts to product development
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
