Patient Stratification for Antibiotic Prescriptions Based on the Bound-Free Phase Detection Immunoassay of C-Reactive Protein in Serum Samples.

C-reactive protein is a well-studied host response biomarker, whose diagnostic performance depends on its accurate classification into concentration zones defined by clinical scenario-specific cutoff values. We validated a newly developed, bead-based, bound-free phase detection immunoassay (BFPD-IA) versus a commercial CE-IVD enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit and a commercial CE-IVD immunoturbidimetric assay (ITA) kit. The latter was performed on a fully automated DPC Konelab 60i clinical analyzer used in routine diagnosis.

ImmunoDisk-A Fully Automated Bead-Based Immunoassay Cartridge with All Reagents Pre-Stored.

In this paper, we present the ImmunoDisk, a fully automated sample-to-answer centrifugal microfluidic cartridge, integrating a heterogeneous, wash-free, magnetic- and fluorescent bead-based immunoassay (bound-free phase detection immunoassay/BFPD-IA). The BFPD-IA allows the implementation of a simple fluidic structure, where the assay incubation, bead separation and detection are performed in the same chamber. The system was characterized using a C-reactive protein (CRP) competitive immunoassay.

OralDisk: A Chair-Side Compatible Molecular Platform Using Whole Saliva for Monitoring Oral Health at the Dental Practice.

Periodontitis and dental caries are two major bacterially induced, non-communicable diseases that cause the deterioration of oral health, with implications in patients' general health. Early, precise diagnosis and personalized monitoring are essential for the efficient prevention and management of these diseases. Here, we present a disk-shaped microfluidic platform (OralDisk) compatible with chair-side use that enables analysis of non-invasively collected whole saliva samples and molecular-based detection of ten bacteria: seven periodontitis-associated (, , , , , , ) and three caries-associated (oral , , ).

Validation and verification of predictive salivary biomarkers for oral health.

Oral health is important not only due to the diseases emerging in the oral cavity but also due to the direct relation to systemic health. Thus, early and accurate characterization of the oral health status is of utmost importance. There are several salivary biomarkers as candidates for gingivitis and periodontitis, which are major oral health threats, affecting the gums.

One-step, wash-free, bead-based immunoassay employing bound-free phase detection.

We present a simple and fast one-step heterogeneous immunoassay, with performance characteristics that can enable easy and versatile adaptation to miniaturized, automated point-of-care systems. This novel analytical method uses magnetic and fluorescent beads as capture and detection agents respectively. Its main feature is the measurement of the fluorescent signal in the bound-free phase for (semi-)quantitative detection of analytes.

Healthcare Challenges and Future Solutions in Dental Practice: Assessing Oral Antibiotic Resistances by Contemporary Point-Of-Care Approaches.

Antibiotic resistance poses a global threat, which is being acknowledged at several levels, including research, clinical implementation, regulation, as well as by the World Health Organization. In the field of oral health, however, the issue of antibiotic resistances, as well as of accurate diagnosis, is underrepresented. Oral diseases in general were ranked third in terms of expenditures among the EU-28 member states in 2015.

RespiDisk: a point-of-care platform for fully automated detection of respiratory tract infection pathogens in clinical samples.

We present the RespiDisk enabling the fully automated and multiplex point-of-care (POC) detection of (currently) up to 19 respiratory tract infection (RTI) pathogens from a single sample based on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RespiDisk comprises a RTI-specific implementation of the centrifugal microfluidic LabDisk platform and combines new and existing advanced unit operations for liquid control, thereby automating all assay steps only by a spinning frequency and temperature protocol in combination with the use of a permanent magnet for in situ bead handing. The capabilities of the system were demonstrated with 36 tested quality samples mimicking clinical conditions (clinical and/or cultured material suspended in transport medium or synthetic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)) from past external quality assessment (EQA) panels covering 13 of the 19 integrated RTI detection assays.

Rapid Diagnosis of Respiratory Tract Infections Using a Point-of-Care Platform Incorporating a Clinical Decision Support Algorithm.

Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) are among the top reasons for visiting a General Practitioner (GP) and the main cause of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. Reducing inappropriate use is essential to decrease antibiotic resistance and adverse events. The goal of the Eurostars project "Respiotic" is to develop a new point-of-care (POC) platform based on the centrifugal microfluidic LabDisk that will detect the main responsible viruses and bacteria for community-acquired RTIs, including associated resistances and host biomarkers.

Automated Pre-Analytic Processing of Whole Saliva Using Magnet-Beating for Point-of-Care Protein Biomarker Analysis.

Saliva offers many advantages for point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic applications due to non-invasive, easy, and cost-effective methods of collection. However, the complex matrix with its non-Newtonian behavior and high viscosity poses handling challenges. Several tedious and long pre-analytic steps, incompatible with PoC use, are required to liquefy and homogenize saliva samples before protein analysis can be performed.