Teymur Aygun, Hussain Iftak, Tang Chenling, Saxena Ramesh, Erickson David, Wu Tianfu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77024, USA.
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
Micromachines (Basel). 2025 Jan 29;16(2):156. doi: 10.3390/mi16020156.
Point-of-care (POC) testing has revolutionized diagnostics by providing rapid, accessible solutions outside traditional laboratory settings. However, many POC systems lack the sensitivity or multiplexing capability required for complex diseases. This study introduces an LED-based fluorescence reader designed for POC applications, enabling multiplex detection of lupus nephritis (LN) biomarkers using a biomarker microarray (BMA) slide. The reader integrates an LED excitation source, neutral density (ND) filters for precise intensity control, and onboard image processing with Gaussian smoothing and centroid thresholding to enhance signal detection and localization. Five LN biomarkers (VSIG4, OPN, VCAM1, ALCAM, and TNFRSF1B) were assessed, and performance was validated against a Genepix laser-based scanner. The LED reader demonstrated strong correlation coefficients (r = 0.96-0.98) with the Genepix system for both standard curves and patient samples, achieving robust signal-to-noise ratios and reproducibility across all biomarkers. The multiplex format reduced sample volume and allowed simultaneous analysis of multiple biomarkers. These results highlight the reader's potential to bridge the gap between laboratory-grade precision and POC accessibility. By combining portability, cost-effectiveness, and high analytical performance, this fluorescence reader provides a practical solution for POC diagnostics, particularly in resource-limited settings, improving the feasibility of routine monitoring and early intervention for diseases requiring comprehensive biomarker analysis.
即时检测（POC）通过在传统实验室环境之外提供快速、便捷的解决方案，彻底改变了诊断方式。然而，许多POC系统缺乏复杂疾病所需的灵敏度或多重检测能力。本研究介绍了一种专为POC应用设计的基于LED的荧光阅读器，它能够使用生物标志物微阵列（BMA）载玻片对狼疮性肾炎（LN）生物标志物进行多重检测。该阅读器集成了LED激发源、用于精确强度控制的中性密度（ND）滤光片以及具有高斯平滑和质心阈值处理功能的板载图像处理，以增强信号检测和定位。评估了五种LN生物标志物（VSIG4、OPN、VCAM1、ALCAM和TNFRSF1B），并与基于Genepix激光的扫描仪进行了性能验证。对于标准曲线和患者样本，LED阅读器与Genepix系统均显示出很强的相关系数（r = 0.96 - 0.98），在所有生物标志物上均实现了稳健的信噪比和重现性。多重检测形式减少了样本量，并允许同时分析多种生物标志物。这些结果突出了该阅读器在弥合实验室级精度与POC可及性之间差距方面的潜力。通过结合便携性、成本效益和高分析性能，这种荧光阅读器为POC诊断提供了一种实用的解决方案，特别是在资源有限的环境中，提高了对需要全面生物标志物分析的疾病进行常规监测和早期干预的可行性。
