Abstract
In this work, we have developed a paper-based microfluidic device capable of remote biofluid collection followed by an analysis of the dried clinical samples using a miniature mass spectrometer. We have evaluated a portable mass spectrometer as a possible surveillance platform by analyzing the clinical malaria samples (whole blood) collected from Ghana. We synthesized pH-sensitive ionic probes and coupled them with monoclonal antibodies specific to the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) malaria antigen. We then used the antibody-ionic probe conjugates in a paper-based immunoassay to capture PfHRP2 antigen from untreated whole blood. After the immunoassay, the bound ionic probes were cleaved, and the released mass tags were analyzed through an on-chip paper spray mass spectrometry strategy. During process optimization, we determined the detection limit for PfHRP2 in untreated human serum to be 0.216 nmol/L when using the miniature mass spectrometer. This sensitivity is comparable to the World Health Organization's suggested threshold of 0.227 nmol/L for PfHRP2, proving that our method will be applicable to diagnose symptomatic malaria infection (≥200 parasites per μL blood). The paper device can be stored at room temperature for at least 25 days without affecting the clinical outcome, with each stored paper chip offering good repeatability and reproducibility (RSD = 4-12%). The stability and sensitivity of the developed paper-based immunoassay platform will allow miniature mass spectrometers to be used for point-of-care malaria detection as well as in large-scale surveillance screening to aid eradication programs.