TY - JOUR A1 - López-Puertollano, Daniel A1 - Tobias, Charlie A1 - Bell, Jérémy A1 - Abad-Somovilla, A. A1 - Abad-Fuentes, A. A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Superparamagnetic Bead-Based Microfluidic Fluoroimmunoassay Platform for Rapid Ochratoxin A Detection in Flour N2 - Simplification and reduction of time and costs are the primary goals in the development and use of onsite methods in diagnostics and food safety. To facilitate the transition from laboratory techniques to simple, miniaturized devices, we have developed a modular microfluidic platform. This platform integrates a competitive fluorescence immunoassay on the surface of superparamagnetic beads, serving as a complementary technique to traditional cytometry assays. In the first chip module, a fast competitive reaction (5 min) occurs, after which the particles are retained in the second module. This module consists of a PDMS chip and a permanent magnet, allowing only the fluorescent competitor to reach the detection module. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was chosen as the model analyte for device development, using fluorescein-labeled OTA as a competitor. The system efficiently separates particles, with OTA concentration directly correlated to the amount of fluorescent competitor remaining in solution after the competitive reaction. This innovative setup allows to perform rapid measurements with small sample volumes in a short time (10 min), achieving a limit of detection for OTA of 1.2 μg L–1. The system was successfully applied to the accurate determination of OTA in wheat flour spiked at regulatorily relevant concentrations. Using this device, conventional cytometry immunoassays can be seamlessly transformed into user-friendly, miniaturized analytical methods at reduced cost for applications outside of a laboratory directly at the point of need. KW - Bead-based assay KW - Fluorescence KW - Immunoassay KW - Microfluidics KW - mycotoxins PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638472 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c01119 SN - 2379-3694 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, D.C. AN - OPUS4-63847 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tobias, Charlie A1 - López-Puertollano, Daniel A1 - Abad-Somovilla, Antonio A1 - Mercader, J. V. A1 - Abad-Fuentes, A. A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Development of Simple and Rapid Bead-Based Cytometric Immunoassays Using Superparamagnetic Hybrid Core−Shell Microparticles N2 - Flow cytometry-based immunoassays are valuable in biomedical research and clinical applications due to their high throughput and multianalyte capability, but their adoption in areas such as food safety and environmental monitoring is limited by long assay times and complex workflows. Rapid, simplified bead-based cytometric immunoassays are needed to make these methods viable for point-of-need applications, especially with the increasing accessibility of miniaturized cytometers. This work introduces superparamagnetic hybrid polystyrene-silica core−shell microparticles as promising alternatives to conventional polymer beads in competitive cytometric immunoassays. These beads, featuring high specificity, sensitivity, and excellent handling capabilities via magnetic separation, were evaluated with three different antibodies and binding methods, showing variations in signal intensity based on the antibody and its attachment method. The optimal performance was achieved through a secondary antibody binding approach, providing strong and consistent signals with minimal uncertainty. The optimized protocol made it possible to achieve a detection limit of 0.025 nM in a total assay time of only 15 min and was successfully used to detect ochratoxin A (OTA) in raw flour samples. This work highlights the potential of these beads as versatile tools for flow cytometry-based immunoassays, with significant implications for food safety, animal health, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics. KW - Immunoassays KW - Bead-based KW - Core-shell particles KW - Cytometry KW - Mycotoxins PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-610593 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.4c00038 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, D.C. AN - OPUS4-61059 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -