Point-of-care testing of Procalcitonin using lateral flow assay.

This study presents a novel gold nano shells (GNS)-assisted paper-based lateral flow assay (LFA) for the detection of procalcitonin (PCT). PCT is a biomarker of infection, originating from the C cells of the thyroid gland and functioning as a precursor to the hormone calcitonin. Its concentration in the blood is known to increase in line with the progression of infectious diseases.