On-Line Dual-Active Valves Based Centrifugal Microfluidic Chip for Fully Automated Point-of-Care Immunoassay

Abstract

There remains an unmet need for a fully integrated microfluidic platform that can automatically perform multistep and multireagent immunoassays. Here, we proposed a novel online dual-active valve-based centrifugal microfluidic chip, termed DAVM, for fully automatic point-of-care immunoassay. Practically, the puncture valve, one of the dual active valves, is capable of achieving precise, on-demand, sequential release of prestored reagents, while the other valve-reversible active valve enables controlled retention and drainage of the reaction solutions. Thereby, our technology mitigates the challenges of hydrophilic/hydrophobic modifications and unstable valve control performance commonly observed in passive valve controls. As a proof of concept, the indirect enzymatic immunoblotting technique was employed on DAVM for fully automated immunological analysis of eight targets, yielding outcomes within an hour. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis of 28 clinical samples with autoimmune diseases. According to 224 clinical data, the sample testing concordance rate between DAVM and the traditional instrument was 82%, with a target compliance rate of 97%. Therefore, our DAVM system has powerful potential for fully automated immunoassays.