Fully Integrated Point-of-Care Platform for the Self-Monitoring of Phenylalanine in Finger-Prick Blood

Abstract

Development of point-of-care platforms combining reliability and ease of use is a challenge for the evolution of sensing in healthcare technologies. Here, we report the development and testing of a fully integrated enzymatic colorimetric assay for the sensing of phenylalanine in blood samples from phenylketonuria patients. The platform works with a customized mobile app for data acquisition and visualization and comprises an electronic system and a disposable sensor. The sensing approach is based on specific enzymatic phenylalanine recognition, and the optical transduction method is based on in situ gold nanostructure formation. The phenylketonuria (PKU) smart sensor platform is conceived to perform self-monitoring on phenylalanine levels and real-time therapy tuning, thanks to the direct connection with clinicians. Validation of the technologies with a population of patients affected by PKU, together with the concurrent validation of the platform through centralized laboratories, has confirmed the good analytical performances in terms of sensitivity and specificity, robustness, and utility for phenylalanine sensing. The self-monitoring of phenylalanine for the daily identification of abnormal health conditions could facilitate rapid therapy tuning, improving the wellness of PKU patients.

Spicy Recipe for At-Home Diagnostics: Smart Salivary Sensors for Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Jaundice

“…Paper is an inexpensive, lightweight, flexible, porous, tailorable, and versatile biopolymer material consisting of hydrophilic cellulose fibers. In recent years, paper-based sensors as affordable, easy-to-fabricate/use, and efficient devices have received considerable attention in various POC diagnostics and environmental (bio)­sensing applications on account of the intrinsic and beneficial features of paper such as its low cost, high availability, nontoxicity, biodegradability, disposability, sustainability, renewability, foldability, and high capillary wicking property compared to conventional sensor substrates. ,,,,− …”

Pre-analytic decrease of phenylalanine in plasma of patients with phenylketonuria treated with pegvaliase

“…Accordingly, routine repeat analyses, for example due to a quality control failure, should be treated with extreme caution, and it may be necessary to obtain a new sample rather than relying on the established stability metrics determined during assay validation. Point of care (POC) approaches to PKU management have been explored, and may benefit particularly patients treated with pegvaliase [ 14 , 15 ]. Interestingly, a POC approach utilizing PAL and ammonia measurement has been proposed, although its effectiveness in the context of pegvaliase treatment has not been established [ 16 ].…”