Home › Research › Cognitive tests and assessment
A fully automated paper-based smartphone-assisted microfluidic chemiluminescence sample to result immunoassay platform
Jihong Sun, Sixuan Duan, Weiqin Xu, Wenjun He, Tong Li, Sanli Liu, Kai Hoettges, Junhui Zhu et al.. Analytica chimica acta, 2025-04-10
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
In this study, we developed a newly designed μPAD for CL immunoassays, leveraging smartphone-based image capture, valve-regulated reaction process, and app-driven result analysis to enable fully automated detection. Each element of the device was highly integrated and designed for programmable operation, enhancing reliability and stability. An app was developed to manage the entire process, maximizing the convenience of smartphones. The device's effectiveness was calibrated using rabbit IgG as a model, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 62.4 pg/mL, which represents an improvement compared to the colorimetric ELISA method with a LOD of 3 ng/mL (20pM). We then applied the device to detect tau protein, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease and achieved a detection limit of 26.1 pg/mL, which is lower than the clinical cut-off value. Our device achieves complete automation and integrates the versatility of μPADs with the precision of CL immunoassays, offering an effective and accessible solution for POCT. By incorporating a user-friendly smartphone interface, it simplifies operation while maintain detection sensitivity, providing a practical and valuable improvement in the development of POCT technologies.
Key findings
- In this study, we developed a newly designed μPAD for CL immunoassays, leveraging smartphone-based image capture, valve-regulated reaction process, and app-driven result analysis to enable fully automated detection.
- Each element of the device was highly integrated and designed for programmable operation, enhancing reliability and stability.
- An app was developed to manage the entire process, maximizing the convenience of smartphones.
- The device's effectiveness was calibrated using rabbit IgG as a model, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 62.4 pg/mL, which represents an improvement compared to the colorimetric ELISA method with a LOD of 3 ng/mL (20pM).
- We then applied the device to detect tau protein, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease and achieved a detection limit of 26.1 pg/mL, which is lower than the clinical cut-off value.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Analytica chimica acta) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40374237) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Sun, J., Duan, S., Xu, W., He, W., Li, T., Liu, S., et al. (2025). A fully automated paper-based smartphone-assisted microfluidic chemiluminescence sample to result immunoassay platform. Analytica chimica acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2025.344013
Vancouver
Sun J, Duan S, Xu W, He W, Li T, Liu S, et al. A fully automated paper-based smartphone-assisted microfluidic chemiluminescence sample to result immunoassay platform. Analytica chimica acta. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2025.344013. PMID: 40374237.
BibTeX
@article{sun2025-40374237,
author = {Sun, Jihong and Duan, Sixuan and Xu, Weiqin and He, Wenjun and Li, Tong and Liu, Sanli and Hoettges, Kai and Zhu, Junhui and others},
title = {{A fully automated paper-based smartphone-assisted microfluidic chemiluminescence sample to result immunoassay platform}},
journal = {Analytica chimica acta},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.aca.2025.344013},
pmid = {40374237},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2025.344013}
}