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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Marloes PeetersORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that plays a major role in the pathogenesis of a variety of conditions, including psychiatric disorders. The detection of serotonin typically relies on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), an expensive technique that requires sophisticated equipment and trained personnel, and is not suitable for point-of-care applications. In this contribution, we introduce a novel sensor platform that can measure spiked neurotransmitter concentrations in whole blood samples in a fast and low-cost manner by combining synthetic receptors with a thermal readout technique—the heat-transfer method. In addition, the design of a miniaturized version of the sensing platform is presented that aims to bridge the gap between measurements in a laboratory setting and point-of-care measurements. This fully automated and integrated, user-friendly design features a capillary pumping unit that is compatible with point-of-care sampling techniques such as a blood lancet device (sample volume—between 50 μL and 300 μL). Sample pre-treatment is limited to the addition of an anti-coagulant. With this fully integrated setup, it is possible to successfully discriminate serotonin from a competitor neurotransmitter (histamine) in whole blood samples. This is the first demonstration of a point-of-care ready device based on synthetic receptors for the screening of neurotransmitters in complex matrices, illustrating the sensor’s potential application in clinical research and diagnosis of e.g., early stage depression.
Author(s): Vandenryt T, Van Grinsven B, Eersels K, Cornelis P, Kholwadia S, Cleij TJ, Thoelen R, De Ceuninck W, Peeters M, Wagner P
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Sensors
Year: 2017
Volume: 17
Issue: 12
Online publication date: 23/11/2017
Acceptance date: 22/11/2017
Date deposited: 15/04/2019
ISSN (print): 1424-8239
ISSN (electronic): 1424-8220
Publisher: MDPI AG
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/s17122701
DOI: 10.3390/s17122701
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