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Sepsis, defined as the systemic inflammatory response to a confirmed or suspected source of infection, is the most severe infection-related condition and its identification can be particularly difficult in the initial stages. The importance of having a Point-of-care testing platform capable of measuring sepsis biomarkers for a secure early-stage diagnosis is evident to reduce delay in treatment and hence recovery period for the patient.
We will report on a simple and cost-effective device which also shows high portability. It is based on the optical detection of labeled essays through a fully-automated fiber probe. Efficient signal collection is obtained by replacing the standard glass substrate with a planar metallo-dielectric multilayer which funnels the emission into a narrow cone around the polar axis [1]. Optical interrogation is implemented with a minimized epi-fluorescence monolithic system directly connected to the fiber.
On one hand, optical probes provide the ability to detect low quantities of target molecules without direct contact to the sample; on the other hand, nano-photonics promises to overcome the limitations related to bulk optics with precise and fragile alignment procedures.
We will report on preliminary results obtained for a reference dry essays (IgG/anti-IgG) marked with ATTO647N, which demonstrates sensitivity overcoming the requirements for CRP-based sepsis detection. We will also discuss optimization steps which are expected to bring sensitivity beyond the level required for PRC-based sepsis detection. The proposed device is also prone to implementation in microfluidic-based protocols.
[1] Checcucci S, Lombardi P., Rizvi S., Sgrignuoli F., Gruhler N., Dieleman F.B.C., Cataliotti F.S., Pernice W.H.P., Agio M., and Toninelli C., Beaming light from a quantum emitter with a planar optical antenna, Light: Science and Applications, Vol. 6, e16245 (2017).
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