A Smartphone Operated Electrochemical Reader and Actuator that Streamlines the Operation of Electrochemical Biosensors
No TL;DR found
Abstract
Prompted by the increasing number of electrochemical biosensors reported in the literature, a wide range of lab-made potentiostats have been developed by researchers in recent years. While these devices are less costly than their commercial counterparts, they are typically single-plex and rely on non-integrated sample preparation or signal actuation devices. To address these limitations, we have designed a portable and fully integrated platform for point-of-care (PoC) electrochemical readout and actuation. This device performs standard voltammetric techniques and is controlled remotely by an accompanying smartphone application via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). This device supports both standard three-electrode and dual signal assays and can be extended to support multiple channels. Our device also integrates a portable heater and an electromagnet to facilitate away from lab sample heating and magnetic manipulation respectively. This device was used to detect nucleic acids and bacterial targets using single-stranded DNA probes and redox DNAzymes, respectively. The small form-factor and low cost of this device, in conjunction with the integration of peripheral instruments and native multiplex analysis capabilities, will enable electrochemical biosensing to be performed outside the research laboratory.