An integrated microfluidic system for rapid diagnosis of dengue virus infection

Biosens Bioelectron. 2009 Dec 15;25(4):745-52. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2009.08.020. Epub 2009 Aug 21.

Abstract

This study reports an integrated microfluidic system which utilizes virus-bound magnetic bead complexes for rapid serological analysis of antibodies associated with an infection by the dengue virus. This new microfluidic system integrates one-way micropumps, a four-membrane-type micromixer, two-way micropumps and an on-chip microcoil array in order to simultaneously perform the rapid detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM). An IgM/IgG titer in serum is used to confirm the presence of dengue virus infection. By utilizing microfluidic technologies and virus-bound magnetic beads, IgG and IgM in the serum samples are captured. This is followed by purification and isolation of these beads utilizing a magnetic field generated from the on-chip array of microcoils. Any interfering substances in the biological fluids are washed away automatically by the flow generated by the integrated pneumatic pumps. The fluorescence-labelled secondary antibodies are bound to the surface of the IgG/IgM complex attached onto the magnetic beads. Finally, the entire magnetic complex sandwich is transported automatically into a sample detection chamber. The optical signals are then measured and analyzed by a real-time optical detection module. The entire process is performed automatically on a single chip within 30min, which is only 1/8th of the time required for a traditional method. More importantly, the detection limit has been improved to 21pg, which is about 38 times better when compared to traditional methods. This integrated system may provide a powerful platform for the rapid diagnosis of dengue virus infection and other types of infectious diseases.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Blood Chemical Analysis / instrumentation
  • Dengue / blood*
  • Dengue / diagnosis*
  • Dengue Virus / isolation & purification*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay / instrumentation*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests / instrumentation*
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / instrumentation
  • Systems Integration