THESIS
2023
1 online resource (xxii, 166 pages) : illustrations (some color)
Abstract
The healthcare industry is increasingly adopting digital technologies, facilitating access
to quality medical care for traditionally under-served and remote communities. However,
modern remote medicine is limited to Q&A sessions and optical explorations, hindering
effective patient monitoring. To address this, novel tools are required to bridge the gap
between hospitals and patients’ homes. Electrochemical detection, with its miniaturization
capabilities, has emerged as a viable option for remote biomarker detection. In
addition, microfluidics can enhance electrochemical detection techniques, allowing for the
integration of the entire assay workflow into a small portable form-factor.
This thesis presents three technologies aimed at enabling remote patient monitoring
through decentralize...[
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The healthcare industry is increasingly adopting digital technologies, facilitating access
to quality medical care for traditionally under-served and remote communities. However,
modern remote medicine is limited to Q&A sessions and optical explorations, hindering
effective patient monitoring. To address this, novel tools are required to bridge the gap
between hospitals and patients’ homes. Electrochemical detection, with its miniaturization
capabilities, has emerged as a viable option for remote biomarker detection. In
addition, microfluidics can enhance electrochemical detection techniques, allowing for the
integration of the entire assay workflow into a small portable form-factor.
This thesis presents three technologies aimed at enabling remote patient monitoring
through decentralized biomarker detection. First, a method for enhancing electrochemical
assays through magnetophoretic bead confinement is presented. This technique enables
the design of increasingly sensitive electrochemical detection electrodes, regardless of size,
material, or detected analyte. Second, a portable and automated sample-to-answer platform
capable of detecting proteins with high sensitivity and in short assay times is introduced
and characterized. This platform enables patients to monitor protein biomarkers
outside the confines of clinical laboratories with low limits-of-detection. Lastly, an electroactive
bead for label-free biomarker detection is presented. This work introduces the
development of inherently electroactive magnetic beads for analyte immobilization, handling,
and quantification.
All of these technologies are developed with the goal of creating a simple, automated
platform for multiplexed biomarker detection. It is envisioned that the development of these technologies will give rise to the decentralisation of clinical tests and allow medical
practitioners and researchers to tap into an undiscovered trove of data and information.
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