Wearable biosensor for the multiplexed colorimetric analysis of protein biomarkers in sweat.

• Grant number: 24/16675-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Laís Canniatti Brazaca
• Grantee: Fihama de Cassia Santos Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/10141-2 - Novel wearable biosensors for non-invasive analysis of protein biomarkers, AP.JP

Abstract

Recently, wearable biosensors have received considerable attention due to their ability to quantify different analytes in real time in a simple and non-invasive manner, providing important information to the areas of health, sports, food and safety. However, such devices are commonly limited to the detection of electrolytes, electrochemically active molecules or small molecules such as glucose, ethanol and lactate. Therefore, despite the great clinical interest in this class, wearable biosensors capable of analyzing specific protein biomarkers have not yet been widely described in the literature. Thus, we propose the development of wearable biosensors based on the adaptation of the lateral flow technique for the analysis of 3 protein biomarkers simultaneously in sweat in a simple, fast and low-cost manner using the colorimetric technique. For this purpose, the clinically important protein biomarkers dermicidin, clusterin and alipoprotein D, related to various types of cancer, Alzheimer's disease and aging disorders, were selected as analytes. A flexible wearable microfluidic device based on PDMS constructed by soft lithography will be combined with laser-cut nitrocellulose, cellulose and glass fiber membranes to adapt the lateral flow technique to a wearable device. In this case, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) will be applied as markers. Photos of the devices will be obtained and analyzed using mobile devices, making protein quantification accessible and simple. Since the developed platforms can be adjusted to detect different proteins based on the selection of appropriate antibodies, it is expected that such devices will considerably increase the number of biomolecules that can be analyzed by wearable devices in sweat, generating a great impact mainly in the health area.