Direct Reading of Bona Fide Barcode Assays for Diagnostics with Smartphone Apps

• Published in: Scientific reports 2015-06, Vol.5 (1), p.11727-11727, Article 11727
• Main Authors: Wong, Jessica X. H., Li, Xiaochun, Liu, Frank S. F., Yu, Hua-Zhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 142/126; 49/1; 49/47; 49/62; 639/638/11/277; 639/638/11/872; Alzheimer's disease; Automatic Data Processing; Chorionic gonadotropin; Chorionic Gonadotropin - urine; Computers, Handheld; Data processing; Female; Gonadotropins; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Instrumentation; Mobile Applications; multidisciplinary; Pituitary (anterior); Point-of-Care Systems; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests, Immunologic; Science; Smartphone; Smartphones
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep11727

The desire to develop new point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools has led to the adaptation of smartphones to tackle limitations in state-of-the-art instrumentation and centralized laboratory facilities. Today’s smartphones possess the computer-like ability to image and process data using mobile apps; barcode scanners are one such type of apps. We demonstrate herein that a diagnostic assay can be performed by patterning immunoassay strips in a bona fide barcode format such that after target binding and signal enhancement, the linear barcode can be read directly with a standard smartphone app. Quantitative analysis can then be performed based on the grayscale intensities with a customized mobile app. This novel diagnostic concept has been validated for a real-world application, i.e., the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin, a pregnancy hormone. With the possibility of multiplex detection, the barcode assay protocol promises to boost POC diagnosis research by the direct adaptation of mobile devices and apps.