Vertical Flow Immunoassay Platform for Low Resource Settings

Project Goal: Redesign an existing laboratory-based vertical flow immunoassay platform capable of providing real-time disease diagnoses in a variety of low resource settings.

The Center for Applied Nanobioscience and Medicine developed a novel, paper-based vertical flow immunoassay, or VFI, capable of detecting targeted disease biomarkers. The developed system only functioned in a laboratory setting. Replacing the electronic syringe pump for sample testing and a desktop scanner for diagnostic imaging would allow the VFI to be used in real world situations.

The team redesigned components of the vertical flow immunoassay platform, or VFP, to be powerless, portable and ergonomic. The user activates a mechanical device to depress a syringe, allowing sample liquid to flow through the augmented paper membrane of the VFI at a desired, constant rate. The VFI, updated with a more ergonomic housing for easy handling by users with personal protective gear, is then removed from the actuator and placed on a cell phone adaptable lens. Finally, the use of colorimetric signal detection of biomarkers on a paper membrane provides a diagnosis.

The redesigned VFP efficiently and effectively identifies disease biomarkers on site in low resource settings.