Point-of-Care Immunoassay Based on a Multipixel Dual-Channel Pressure Sensor Array with Visual Sensing Capability of Full-Color Switching and Reliable Electrical Signals

Anal Chem. 2022 Sep 27;94(38):13278-13286. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03393. Epub 2022 Sep 13.

Abstract

The point-of-care (POC) method with affordability and portability for the sensitive detection of biological substances is an emerging topic in rapid disease screening and personalized medicine. In this work, we demonstrated a diverse responsive platform based on a dual-channel pressure sensor (DCPS). The DCPS had a multilayer flexible architecture consisting of a photonic hydrogel with chromatic transitions and a piezoresistive pressure sensor as the electrical data transmission unit, both of which had the property of pressure-induced mechanical stimulus feedback. By incorporating a platinum nanoparticles-labeled detection antibody (PtNPs-dAb) into the sandwich-type immunoreaction for the target carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, as a model analyte), gas decomposition could be triggered by the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce a significant increase under pressure in a closed chamber. Meanwhile, the DCPS enabled an accurate electrical signal output, and the photonic hydrogel converted spatiotemporal stimuli into eye-readable colorations with string brilliance. In this way, the target concentration could be quantificationally related to the electrical response and intuitively perceived through visible color alterations. Under optimal conditions, a sensitive determination of CEA was performed in a detectable range of 0.3-60 ng/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.13 ng/mL. In addition, the proposed protocol had satisfactory selectivity, accuracy, and reproducibility. Furthermore, an array-based immunoassay device was fabricated to conceptually validate its application potential in high-throughput biomedical detection and inspire a dual-signal POC diagnostic platform in a friendly way for resource-limited settings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen
  • Gold
  • Hydrogels
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Immunoassay / methods
  • Limit of Detection
  • Metal Nanoparticles*
  • Platinum
  • Point-of-Care Systems
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen
  • Hydrogels
  • Platinum
  • Gold
  • Hydrogen Peroxide