P-027

Edita Voitechovic1

edita.voitechovic@ftmc.lt

Islam Hassan1, Kazem Harab1, Yeo-Wan Chiang2,3, Rasa Pauliukaite1

1Department of Nanoengineering, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Lithuania

Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan

3Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan

Enhancing Analyte Extraction and Electrochemical Analysis in Model Systems for Point-of-Care Testing

As home health monitoring becomes a key strategy for disease control and healthy ageing, early detection of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's is of paramount importance. However, most countries face challenges in providing universal access to periodic testing due to high costs. The development of versatile point-of-care testing (PoCT) sensors offers a promising solution, enabling fast screening of multiple disease biomarkers at home or in pharmacies.

Current stick-type biosensors, such as pregnancy tests, are limited by their ability to detect only 1-3 biomarkers per test and generate significant plastic waste. Key challenges in the development of PoCT sensors include the balance between accuracy, cost, and selection of appropriate analysis media (e.g., capillary blood, saliva, urine, interstitial fluid), handling diverse biomarker types (soluble and insoluble in water, varying molecular weights), and the choice of detection strategies (optical or electrochemical)[1, 2].

Our research focuses on the analysis of both soluble and insoluble water disease biomarkers in various media using porous materials. We are testing highly ordered gyroid-structured materials [3] and uniform porous polyvinyl alcohol-based materials [4] for biomarker extraction and separation, to enhance  electrochemical sensing. These materials aim to improve the accuracy and expand the capabilities of PoCT sensors, making them more effective for widespread use.

References:

[1] R.L. Pereira, K.B. Vinayakumar, S. Sillankorva, Polymeric Microneedles for Health Care Monitoring: An Emerging Trend, ACS Sensors 9(5) (2024) 2294-2309.

[2] S. Li, T. Yin, Z. Huang, Soft Microstructure Arrays: A Multifunctional Microsystem for Mass Transport, Energy Transformation, and Surface Manipulation, ACS Materials Letters 6(5) (2024) 1686-1710.

[3] I.M. Lin, R.-S. Tsai, Y.-T. Chou, Y.-W. Chiang, Photonic Crystal Reflectors with Ultrahigh Sensitivity and Discriminability for Detecting Extremely Low-Concentration Surfactants, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 15(38) (2023) 45249-45259.

[4] R. He, Y. Niu, Z. Li, A. Li, H. Yang, F. Xu, F. Li, A Hydrogel Microneedle Patch for Point-of-Care Testing Based on Skin Interstitial Fluid, Advanced Healthcare Materials 9(4) (2020) 1901201.