Umay4women · Unique multiarray immunosensor for the accurate quantification of the fertility window of women in saliva

Unique multiarray immunosensor for the accurate quantification of the fertility window of women in saliva

According to WHO, ca. 8 – 10 % of couples (50 million people) are facing fertility problems. The quantification and monitoring of specific female hormones are crucial for the early identification of infertility and the tracing of diseases associated with hormonal disbalance (e.g., ovarian cancer). One of the main reasons couples have difficulty conceiving is their inability to accurately predict the female’s ovulation period. In comparison with costly and complex conventional methods and commercially available tests that only measure one or two of the four key hormones, Umay proposed a unique and reliable quantification of all hormones involved in the ovulatory cycle to accurately determine the ‘fertility window’ of women by using non-invasive saliva samples. The novelty of this proposal relied on the combination of nanomaterials, photosensitisers, paper-based microfluidics, and immunoassay disciplines to develop a biosensor that can detect and quantify the key hormones associated with fertility in women, overcoming the drawbacks of current techniques and sampling methods. Although initially focused on fertility monitoring in women, the underlying technologies have the potential to be further extended after this fellowship for a wider range of applications and final users (e.g. monitoring of fertility in the animal industry or tracing the evolution of patients after ovarian cancer treatment) to develop reliable, low-cost, multiarray platforms for healthcare applications. From the clinical perspective, Umay will facilitate the direct and rapid quantification of the key fertility hormones which would lead to faster and private decision-making processes concerning the fertility status of each woman. Umay’s main goal was the simultaneous quantification of four key hormones involved in the ovulatory cycle (in saliva) allowing for the identification of the fertility window specific for each woman in an accurate and non-invasive way. The specific research objectives pursued to accomplish the main goal were: a) Fabrication and development of a novel POC platform based on the combination of paper microfluidic and electrochemical sensors using low-cost and scalable screen-printing technology; work package (WP) 2. b) Develop an innovative sensing strategy by functionalisation of the biosensor with antibodies and innovative photosensitisers-conjugated elements that can selectively and sensitively detect each hormone; WP 3. c) Integration of the multiarray biosensor in the microfluidic paper-based platform enabling the detection of several hormones in a single assay by the embodiment in a 3D printed device; WPs 3-4. d) Non-invasive quantification and validation of the selected hormones using saliva samples; WP 4. The data generated during this action will help in the understanding and future development of the ideal Umay multiarray sensor.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз