Nanomonitors: Electrical Immunoassays for Protein Biomarker Profiling

The objective of this research is to develop a “point-of-care” device for early disease diagnosis through protein biomarker characterization. Here we present label-free, high sensitivity detection of proteins with the use of electrical immunoassays that we call Nanomonitors. The basis of the detection principle lies in the formation of an electrical double layer and its perturbations caused by proteins trapped in a nanoporous alumina membrane over a microelectrode array platform. High sensitivity and rapid detection of two inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) in pure and clinical samples through label-free electrical detection were achieved. The performance metrics achieved by this device makes it suitable as a “lab-on-a-chip” device for protein biomarker profiling and hence early disease diagnosis.