Title Lateral flow assay sensitivity and signal enhancement via laser µ-machined constrains in nitrocellulose membrane /
Authors Khatmi, Gazy ; Klinavičius, Tomas ; Simanavičius, Martynas ; Silimavičius, Laimis ; Tamulevičienė, Asta ; Rimkutė, Agnė ; Kučinskaitė-Kodzė, Indrė ; Gylys, Gintautas ; Tamulevičius, Tomas
DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-74407-3
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Is Part of Scientific reports.. Berlin : Nature portfolio. 2024, vol. 14, iss. 1, art. no. 22936, p. 1-14.. ISSN 2045-2322
Keywords [eng] lateral flow assay ; nitrocellulose ; Μ-channels ; laser μ-machining ; reaction time ; calorimetric sensing ; signal enhancement ; SARS-CoV-2
Abstract [eng] Lateral flow assay (LFA) is a handful diagnostic technology that can identify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other common respiratory viruses in one strip, which can be tested at the point-of-care without the need for equipment or skilled personnel outside the laboratory. Although its simplicity and practicality make it an appealing solution, it remains a grand challenge to substantially enhance the colorimetric LFA sensitivity. In this work, we present a straightforward approach to enhance the sensitivity of LFA by imposing the flow constraints in nitrocellulose (NC) membranes via a number of vertical femtosecond laser micromachined microchannels which is important for prolonged specific binding interactions. Porous NC membrane surfaces were structured with different widths and densities µ-channels employing a second harmonic of the Yb:KGW femtosecond laser and sample XYZ translation over a microscope objective-focused laser beam. The influence of the microchannel parameters on the vertical wicking speed was evaluated from the video recordings. The obtained results indicated that µ-channel length, width, and density in NC membranes controllably increased the immunological reaction time between the analyte and the labeled antibody by 950%. Image analysis of the colorimetric indicators confirmed that the flow rate delaying strategy enhanced the signal sensitives by 40% compared with pristine NC LFA.
Published Berlin : Nature portfolio
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2024
CC license CC license description