Abstract
Procalcitonin (PCT) is a known protein biomarker clinically used for the early stages of sepsis diagnosis and therapy guidance. For its reliable determination, sandwich format magnetic bead-based immunoassays with two different electrochemical detection approaches are described: (i) disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPE-C, on-drop detection); (ii) electro-kinetically driven microfluidic chips with integrated Au electrodes (EMC-Au, on-chip detection). Both approaches exhibited enough sensitivity (limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 and 0.04 ng mL−1 for SPE-C and EMC-Au, respectively; cutoff 0.5 ng mL−1), an adequate working range for the clinically relevant concentrations (0.5–1000 and 0.1–20 ng mL−1 for SPE-C and EMC-Au, respectively), and good precision (RSD < 9%), using low sample volumes (25 µL) with total assay times less than 20 min. The suitability of both approaches was successfully demonstrated by the analysis of human serum and plasma samples, for which good recoveries were obtained (89–120%). Furthermore, the EMC-Au approach enabled the easy automation of the process, constituting a reliable alternative diagnostic tool for on-site/bed-site clinical analysis.
Highlights
IntroductionIt is estimated that approximately 13 million people worldwide become septic every year and four million people die of sepsis
Nowadays, the burden of sepsis on health care is highly significant
We demonstrate the use of magnetic bead-based electrochemical immunoassays for PCT determination in human serum samples using two approaches: (i) disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPE-C, on-drop detection) and (ii) electro-kinetically driven microfluidic chips with integrated Au electrodes (EMC-Au, on-chip detection)
Summary
It is estimated that approximately 13 million people worldwide become septic every year and four million people die of sepsis. Mortality rates for severe sepsis range between 30 to 50%, and higher than 50% for septic shock [1]. Despite advances in health care, the incidence of sepsis is increasing every year and a continuous increment is expected as the population ages [2]. With this in mind, new diagnostic tests that help clinicians to diagnose and manage this disease can significantly yield improvements in their patients’ outcomes.
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