An innovative sample-to-answer polymer lab-on-a-chip with on-chip reservoirs for the POCT of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)

A new sample-to-answer polymer lab-on-a-chip, which can perform immunoassay with minimum user intervention through on-chip reservoirs for reagents and single microchannel assay, has been designed, developed and successfully characterized as a point-of-care testing (POCT) cartridge for the detection of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Users only need to drop a sample to the POCT cartridge to obtain test results within 30 minutes. The analyzed results of TSH showed a linear range up to 55 μIU/mL with the limit of detection (LOD) of 1.9 μIU/mL at the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 3. The reagents stored in the on-chip reservoirs maintained their volume more than 97 % of initial volume for 100 days of storage time while the detection antibody retained its activity above 97 %.