TY - JOUR

T1 - 3D-printed microfluidics integrated with optical nanostructured porous aptasensors for protein detection

AU - Arshavsky-Graham, Sofia

AU - Enders, Anton

AU - Ackerman, Shanny

AU - Bahnemann, Janina

AU - Segal, Ester

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Reut Horev for her contribution to the preliminary 3D printing and bonding experiments work. We would like to thank Niklas-Maximilian Epping for his contribution to the biosensing experiment work. ES and SAG would also like to acknowledge the core services and support provided by the Lorry I. Lokey Center for Life Science and Engineering. SAG is grateful for the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Excellence Scholarship for Graduate Students. Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), under the grant SCHE 279/32-1, the Emmy Noether Programme (346772917), and the Kickoff Stipend of the German Technion Society.

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - Microfluidic integration of biosensors enables improved biosensing performance and sophisticated lab-on-a-chip platform design for numerous applications. While soft lithography and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidics are still considered the gold standard, 3D-printing has emerged as a promising fabrication alternative for microfluidic systems. Herein, a 3D-printed polyacrylate-based microfluidic platform is integrated for the first time with a label-free porous silicon (PSi)–based optical aptasensor via a facile bonding method. The latter utilizes a UV-curable adhesive as an intermediate layer, while preserving the delicate nanostructure of the porous regions within the microchannels. As a proof-of-concept, a generic model aptasensor for label-free detection of his-tagged proteins is constructed, characterized, and compared to non-microfluidic and PDMS-based microfluidic setups. Detection of the target protein is carried out by real-time monitoring reflectivity changes of the PSi, induced by the target binding to the immobilized aptamers within the porous nanostructure. The microfluidic integrated aptasensor has been successfully used for detection of a model target protein, in the range 0.25 to 18 μM, with a good selectivity and an improved limit of detection, when compared to a non-microfluidic biosensing platform (0.04 μM vs. 2.7 μM, respectively). Furthermore, a superior performance of the 3D-printed microfluidic aptasensor is obtained, compared to a conventional PDMS-based microfluidic platform with similar dimensions. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

AB - Microfluidic integration of biosensors enables improved biosensing performance and sophisticated lab-on-a-chip platform design for numerous applications. While soft lithography and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidics are still considered the gold standard, 3D-printing has emerged as a promising fabrication alternative for microfluidic systems. Herein, a 3D-printed polyacrylate-based microfluidic platform is integrated for the first time with a label-free porous silicon (PSi)–based optical aptasensor via a facile bonding method. The latter utilizes a UV-curable adhesive as an intermediate layer, while preserving the delicate nanostructure of the porous regions within the microchannels. As a proof-of-concept, a generic model aptasensor for label-free detection of his-tagged proteins is constructed, characterized, and compared to non-microfluidic and PDMS-based microfluidic setups. Detection of the target protein is carried out by real-time monitoring reflectivity changes of the PSi, induced by the target binding to the immobilized aptamers within the porous nanostructure. The microfluidic integrated aptasensor has been successfully used for detection of a model target protein, in the range 0.25 to 18 μM, with a good selectivity and an improved limit of detection, when compared to a non-microfluidic biosensing platform (0.04 μM vs. 2.7 μM, respectively). Furthermore, a superior performance of the 3D-printed microfluidic aptasensor is obtained, compared to a conventional PDMS-based microfluidic platform with similar dimensions. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

KW - 3D-printing

KW - Biosensor

KW - Microfluidics

KW - PDMS

KW - Polyacrylate

KW - Porous silicon

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100527989&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00604-021-04725-0

DO - 10.1007/s00604-021-04725-0

M3 - Article

C2 - 33543321

VL - 188

JO - Mikrochimica Acta

JF - Mikrochimica Acta

SN - 0026-3672

IS - 3

M1 - 67

ER -