Automated lab-on-valve sequential injection ELISA for determination of carbamazepine

Lab-on-Valve Automated and Miniaturized Assessment of Nanoparticle Concentration Based on Light-Scattering

Nanoparticles (NPs) concentration directly impacts the dose delivered to target tissues by nanocarriers. The evaluation of this parameter is required during NPs developmental and quality control stages, for setting dose-response correlations and for evaluating the reproducibility of the manufacturing process. Still, faster and simpler procedures, dismissing skilled operators and post-analysis conversions are needed to quantify NPs for research and quality control operations, and to support result validation. Herein, a miniaturized automated ensemble method to measure NPs concentration was established under the lab-on-valve (LOV) mesofluidic platform. Automatic NPs sampling and delivery to the LOV detection unit were set by flow programming. NPs concentration measurements were based on the decrease in the light transmitted to the detector due to the light scattered by NPs when passing through the optical path. Each analysis was accomplished in 2 min, rendering a determination throughput of 30 h^-1 (6 samples h^-1 for n = 5) and only requiring 30 μL (≈0.03 g) of NPs suspension. Measurements were performed on polymeric NPs, as these represent one of the major classes of NPs under development for drug-delivery aims. Determinations for polystyrene NPs (of 100, 200, and 500 nm) and for NPs made of PEGylated poly-d,l-lactide-co-glycolide (PEG-PLGA, a biocompatible FDA-approved polymer) were accomplished within 10⁸-10¹² particles mL^-1 range, depending on the NPs size and composition. NPs size and concentration were maintained during analysis, as verified for NPs eluted from the LOV by particle tracking analysis (PTA). Moreover, concentration measurements for PEG-PLGA NPs loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug, methotrexate (MTX), after their incubation in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids were successfully achieved (recovery values of 102-115%, as confirmed by PTA), showing the suitability of the proposed method to support the development of polymeric NPs targeting intestinal delivery.

Sensitive and selective detection of carbamazepine in serum samples by bionic double-antibody sandwich method based on cucurbit[7]uril and molecular imprinted polymers

A novel bionic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (BELISA) based on double-antibody sandwich method is firstly designed for the detection of carbamazepine (CBZ) in human serum samples. In this BELISA system, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) is employed as an artificial capture antibody (cAb), and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) is used as an artificial detection antibody (dAb). Nanozymes (PdNPs) as signal generators are integrated with MIPs. This couple of bionic antibodies exhibits not only the excellent physical and chemical stability, but also the superior molecular recognition ability. Based on two bionic antibodies that can selectively recognize different sites of CBZ molecule, a new BELISA method has been constructed for the first time. The proposed BELISA method displays a good linear relationship ranging from 2 to 20 μg mL^-1. The detection limit is 0.37 μg mL^-1, which can well meet clinical testing demand. It provides a more stable and economical method for clinical therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM).

Optical biosensors - Illuminating the path to personalized drug dosing

Optical biosensors are low-cost, sensitive and portable devices that are poised to revolutionize the medical industry. Healthcare monitoring has already been transformed by such devices, with notable recent applications including heart rate monitoring in smartwatches and COVID-19 lateral flow diagnostic test kits. The commercial success and impact of existing optical sensors has galvanized research in expanding its application in numerous disciplines. Drug detection and monitoring seeks to benefit from the fast-approaching wave of optical biosensors, with diverse applications ranging from illicit drug testing, clinical trials, monitoring in advanced drug delivery systems and personalized drug dosing. The latter has the potential to significantly improve patients' lives by minimizing toxicity and maximizing efficacy. To achieve this, the patient's serum drug levels must be frequently measured. Yet, the current method of obtaining such information, namely therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), is not routinely practiced as it is invasive, expensive, time-consuming and skilled labor-intensive. Certainly, optical sensors possess the capabilities to challenge this convention. This review explores the current state of optical biosensors in personalized dosing with special emphasis on TDM, and provides an appraisal on recent strategies. The strengths and challenges of optical biosensors are critically evaluated, before concluding with perspectives on the future direction of these sensors.

Biosensors for wastewater-based epidemiology for monitoring public health

Public health is attracting increasing attention due to the current global pandemic, and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring of public health by analysis of a variety of biomarkers (e.g., chemicals and pathogens) in wastewater. Rapid development of WBE requires rapid and on-site analytical tools for monitoring of sewage biomarkers to provide immediate decision and intervention. Biosensors have been demonstrated to be highly sensitive and selective tools for the analysis of sewage biomarkers due to their fast response, ease-to-use, low cost and the potential for field-testing. This paper presents biosensors as effective tools for wastewater analysis of potential biomarkers and monitoring of public health via WBE. In particular, we discuss the use of sewage sensors for rapid detection of a range of targets, including rapid monitoring of community-wide illicit drug consumption and pathogens for early warning of infectious diseases outbreaks. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future use of the biosensor technology for WBE to enable rapid on-site monitoring of sewage, which will provide nearly real-time data for public health assessment and effective intervention.

Flow-based System: A Highly Efficient Tool Speeds Up Data Production and Improves Analytical Performance

In this review, we cite references from the period between 2015 and 2020 related to the use of a flow-based system as a tool to obtain a modern analytical system for speeding up data production and improving performance. Based on a great deal of concepts for automatic systems, there are several research groups introduced in the development of flow-based systems to increase sample throughput while retaining the reproducibility and repeatability as well as to propose new platforms of flow-based systems, such as microfluidic chip and paper-based devices. Additionally, to apply a developed system for on-site analysis is one of the key features for development. We believe that this review will be very interested and useful for readers because of its impact on developing novel analytical systems. The content of the review is categorized following their applications including quality control and food safety, clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and miscellaneous.

Miniaturized analytical methods for determination of environmental contaminants of emerging concern - A review

The determination of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in environmental samples has become a challenging and critical issue. The present work focuses on miniaturized analytical strategies reported in the literature for the determination of CECs. The first part of the review provides brief overview of CECs whose monitoring in environmental samples is of particular significance, namely personal care products, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, UV-filters, newly registered pesticides, illicit drugs, disinfection by-products, surfactants, high technology rare earth elements, and engineered nanomaterials. Besides, an overview of downsized sample preparation approaches reported in the literature for the determination of CECs in environmental samples is provided. Particularly, analytical methodologies involving microextraction approaches used for the enrichment of CECs are discussed. Both solid phase- and liquid phase-based microextraction techniques are highlighted devoting special attention to recently reported approaches. Special emphasis is placed on newly developed materials used for extraction purposes in microextraction techniques. In addition, recent contributions involving miniaturized analytical flow techniques for the determination of CECs are discussed. Besides, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of point of need and portable devices have been identified and critically compared with chromatographic methods coupled to mass chromatography. Finally, challenging aspects regarding miniaturized analytical methods for determination of CECs are critically discussed.