TY - JOUR
T1 - Cost-effective smartphone-based reconfigurable electrochemical instrument for alcohol determination in whole blood samples
AU - Aymerich, Joan
AU - Márquez, Augusto
AU - Terés, Lluís
AU - Muñoz-Berbel, Xavier
AU - Jiménez, Cecilia
AU - Domínguez, Carlos
AU - Serra-Graells, Francesc
AU - Dei, Michele
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/10/15
Y1 - 2018/10/15
N2 - The determination of ethanol intoxication in whole blood samples may open the opportunity for a precise and quick point-of-measurement in the ambit of medical emergency or law enforcement. In contrast with traditional techniques based on breath sampling, direct blood measurements present greater immunity to errors specially in case of unconscious or non-collaborative patients. In this context, a portable, sensitive and easy-to-use instrument is highly desirable. In the current work we present a smartphone-based µPotentiostat which combines a novel circuital technique for sensor readout digitalization with a reusable lab-on-a-chip (LoC) concept. Such system allows both chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetry measurements with a reduced number of electronic components on a very compact PCB (38.5 × 22.5 mm2). Power, data-link and user interface are provided in combination with a standard smartphone, enabling cost-effectiveness and reconfigurability without sacrificing precision. The readout platform discussed in this work has been coupled to a LoC for point-of-care combining Pt electrodes microfabricated on silicon substrate for electrochemical measurement and a microfluidic structure of methacrylate for fluid management. Biosensing is enabled by in situ electrodeposition of a calcium alginate hydrogel containing horseradish peroxidase (HPR) and alcohol oxidase (AOx) for selective ethanol detection. Alginate membrane electrodeposition has been here optimized for rapid generation (2 min) and to retain the cellular fraction, thus allowing the measurement in whole blood samples. The µPotentiostat features a sensitivity of 36 nA/g L−1 to ethanol concentration in blood in the 0–1.25 g;L−1 range, with a limit of quantification (LoQ) of 4.5 nA, which is a suitable response for discerning the legal, illegal, severely illegal thresholds in a 40 µL sample of blood.
AB - The determination of ethanol intoxication in whole blood samples may open the opportunity for a precise and quick point-of-measurement in the ambit of medical emergency or law enforcement. In contrast with traditional techniques based on breath sampling, direct blood measurements present greater immunity to errors specially in case of unconscious or non-collaborative patients. In this context, a portable, sensitive and easy-to-use instrument is highly desirable. In the current work we present a smartphone-based µPotentiostat which combines a novel circuital technique for sensor readout digitalization with a reusable lab-on-a-chip (LoC) concept. Such system allows both chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetry measurements with a reduced number of electronic components on a very compact PCB (38.5 × 22.5 mm2). Power, data-link and user interface are provided in combination with a standard smartphone, enabling cost-effectiveness and reconfigurability without sacrificing precision. The readout platform discussed in this work has been coupled to a LoC for point-of-care combining Pt electrodes microfabricated on silicon substrate for electrochemical measurement and a microfluidic structure of methacrylate for fluid management. Biosensing is enabled by in situ electrodeposition of a calcium alginate hydrogel containing horseradish peroxidase (HPR) and alcohol oxidase (AOx) for selective ethanol detection. Alginate membrane electrodeposition has been here optimized for rapid generation (2 min) and to retain the cellular fraction, thus allowing the measurement in whole blood samples. The µPotentiostat features a sensitivity of 36 nA/g L−1 to ethanol concentration in blood in the 0–1.25 g;L−1 range, with a limit of quantification (LoQ) of 4.5 nA, which is a suitable response for discerning the legal, illegal, severely illegal thresholds in a 40 µL sample of blood.
KW - Blood-alcohol concentration
KW - Low-cost reusable point-of-care
KW - Smartphone-based micro-potentiostat
KW - Whole blood analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050118945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bios.2018.06.044
DO - 10.1016/j.bios.2018.06.044
M3 - Article
C2 - 30014948
AN - SCOPUS:85050118945
VL - 117
SP - 736
EP - 742
ER -