A fully automated microfluidic-based detection system for the rapid determination of insulin concentration through a chemiluminescence immunoassay has been developed. The microfluidic chip used in the system is a double-layered polydimethylsiloxane device embedded with interconnecting micropumps, microvalves, and a micromixer. At a high injection rate of the developing solution, the chemiluminescence signal can be excited and measured within a short period of time. The integral value of the chemiluminescence light signal is used to determine the insulin concentration of the samples, and the results indicate that the measurement is accurate in the range from 1.5 pM to 391 pM. The entire chemiluminescence assay can be completed in less than 10 min. The fully automated microfluidic-based insulin detection system provides a useful platform for rapid determination of insulin in clinical diagnostics for diabetes, which is expected to become increasingly important for future point-of-care applications.

This work was published on Journal of Laboratory Automation, ,2016,21(3):387-393.titled Fully Automated Quantification of Insulin Concentration Using a Microfluidic-Based Chemiluminescence Immunoassay.