An integrated microfluidic electrochemical assay for cervical cancer detection at point-of-care testing

Abstract

Cervical cancer (CC) is a major health care problem in low- and middle-income countries, necessitating the development of low-cost and easy-to-use assays for CC detection at point-of-care (POC) settings. An integrated microfluidic electrochemical assay for CC detection, named IMEAC, is presented that has the potential for identifying CC circulating DNA in whole blood samples. The IMEAC consists of two main modules: a plasma separator device that isolates plasma from whole blood with high purity and without the need for any external forces connected to a graphene oxide-based electrochemical biosensor that uses specific probe molecules for the detection of CC circulating DNA molecules. We fully characterize the performance of the individual modules and show that the integrated assay can be utilized for target DNA detection in whole blood samples, thus potentially transforming CC detection and screening at remote locations.