PERIO-DX: NOVEL VERTICAL FLOW IMMUNOASSAY AND COMPANION APPLICATION FOR DETECTION OF INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS

Abstract

Chronic inflammation, a driving physiological condition behind the onset and pathology of cardiovascular and renal diseases (CRDs), offers medical professionals an indirect way of assessing whether a person is at risk for these health concerns. This assessment measures the concentration of inflammatory proteins and signaling molecules in the bloodstream that perpetuate inflammation. Relying on the natural fluid-absorbing capabilities of paper-based immunological assays (i.e. pregnancy tests), we developed an at-home point-of-care diagnostic kit that elicits a color change on an immunoassay when a person is at risk of developing heart or renal disease. Additionally, this color change is complemented by the companion app that we developed. This app quantifies the color change using an HSV-value color detection algorithm that correlates to corresponding color change intensities. After rigorous testing, experiments, and verification procedures, we were able to incite a color change individually to both inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C reactive protein (CRP).