Microfluidic impedimetric biosensor for blood congulation

In clinical coagulation diagnostics, there is a great need for bed-side testing devices to determine the coagulation status. Discontinuous or inaccurate measurements can lead to bleeding or life- threatening thrombosis. The conventional coagulation tests are either associated with long turnaround times or require sample preparation, costly equipment, and skilled staff. So, they are mainly not appropriate for on-site use. Furthermore, in many cases, clinical findings, based on a single biomarker, are not enough for an accurate diagnosis. Thus, it is highly desirable to measure various biomarkers simultaneously. This project aims to implement a microfluidic impedimetric sensor using aptamers for simultaneous and label-free on-site detection of blood coagulation status. Aptamers can recognize their target molecules due to their 3D structure with a high specificity and affinity. Impedimetric biosensors enable label-free detection of biomolecular interactions. Their low system complexity and high miniaturization capability favor them for the development of portable systems. However, current impedimetric sensors suffer mainly from the influence of the ion strength of the sample solution. With our nanogap IDA sensor the influence of the sample solution can be minimized. The successful proof-of-concept of such a microfluidic impedimetric biosensor using aptamers would be a game- changer in the blood coagulation testing and beyond as it could also be applied in many other application fields and pave the way for the real-time and online monitoring of various biomarkers in future.

No additional funding sources recorded.