Integration of cell phone imaging with microchip ELISA to detect ovarian cancer HE4 biomarker in urine at the point-of-care

Lab Chip. 2011 Oct 21;11(20):3411-8. doi: 10.1039/c1lc20479c. Epub 2011 Sep 1.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is asymptomatic in the early stages and most patients present with advanced levels of disease. The lack of cost-effective methods that can achieve frequent, simple and non-invasive testing hinders early detection and causes high mortality in ovarian cancer patients. Here, we report a simple and inexpensive microchip ELISA-based detection module that employs a portable detection system, i.e., a cell phone/charge-coupled device (CCD) to quantify an ovarian cancer biomarker, HE4, in urine. Integration of a mobile application with a cell phone enabled immediate processing of microchip ELISA results, which eliminated the need for a bulky, expensive spectrophotometer. The HE4 level detected by a cell phone or a lensless CCD system was significantly elevated in urine samples from cancer patients (n = 19) than healthy controls (n = 20) (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses showed that the microchip ELISA coupled with a cell phone running an automated analysis mobile application had a sensitivity of 89.5% at a specificity of 90%. Under the same specificity, the microchip ELISA coupled with a CCD had a sensitivity of 84.2%. In conclusion, integration of microchip ELISA with cell phone/CCD-based colorimetric measurement technology can be used to detect HE4 biomarker at the point-of-care (POC), paving the way to create bedside technologies for diagnostics and treatment monitoring.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / urine
  • Cell Phone*
  • Colorimetry
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / instrumentation*
  • Epididymal Secretory Proteins / analysis*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / urine*
  • Point-of-Care Systems*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Systems Integration
  • Urinalysis / instrumentation*
  • beta-Defensins

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • DEFB126 protein, human
  • Epididymal Secretory Proteins
  • beta-Defensins