High-performance low-cost antibody microarrays using enzyme-mediated silver amplification.

Antibody microarrays can detect multiple proteins simultaneously, but the need for bulky and expensive fluorescence scanners limits their adaptation in clinical settings. Here we introduce a 15-plex enzyme-mediated silver enhanced sandwich immunoassay (SENSIA) on a microarray as an economic alternative to conventional fluorescence microarray assays. We compared several gold and silver amplification schemes, optimized HRP-mediated silver amplification, and evaluated the use of flatbed scanners for microarray quantification.

Luminescent Iridium(III)-Containing Block Copolymers: Self-Assembly into Biotin-Labeled Micelles for Biodetection Assays.

Luminescent polymers containing Ir(ppy)(bpy) PF complexes, biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains, and biotin moieties were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Their self-assembly in water into micelles resulted in an increased quantum yield compared to open polymer chains in acetonitrile, which is likely due to core rigidity and desolvation. Streptavidin coated magnetic beads were employed to analyze the binding ability of these micelles.

Immunochromatographic assay on thread.

Lateral-flow immunochromatographic assays are low-cost, simple-to-use, rapid tests for point-of-care screening of infectious diseases, drugs of abuse, and pregnancy. However, lateral flow assays are generally not quantitative, give a yes/no answer, and lack multiplexing. Threads have recently been proposed as a support for transporting and mixing liquids in lateral-flow immunochromatographic assays, but their use for quantitative high-sensitivity immunoassays has yet to be demonstrated.

Microfluidics made of yarns and knots: from fundamental properties to simple networks and operations.

We present and characterize cotton yarn and knots as building blocks for making microfluidic circuits from the bottom up. The yarn used is made up of 200-300 fibres, each with a lumen. Liquid applied at the extremity of the yarn spontaneously wets the yarn, and the wetted length increases linearly over time in untreated yarn, but progresses according to a square root relationship as described by Washburn's equation upon plasma activation of the yarn.