title: One-step immunoassay of C-reactive protein using droplet microfluidics.
abstract: We present a wash-free high-sensitivity immunoassay of C-reactive proteins with droplet microfluidics. Microbeads are encapsulated within droplets for the immunoassay, and the droplets are scanned by a fluorescence detection platform to quantify the amount of proteins captured on the microbeads. The limit of detection determined by our platform is 0.01 μg mL-1, which is ten times more sensitive than conventional high-sensitivity C-reactive protein assays. With the decrease in diffusion distance within droplets, the immunoassay requires only half of the time required for similar conventional approaches. This approach for carrying out immunoassays can potentially be applied to other biomarkers beyond C-reactive proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. sdmt99@connect.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Matthew Y H
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. sdmt99@connect.hku.hk and HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, China. ashum@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Ho Cheung
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Shum
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000295:instrumentation*; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D057230:Limit of Detection; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein