Miniature biochemical system with optical and electrochemical detection

Aim of project
The aim of the project was to elaborate, make and test a microsystem of wide application range in biochemistry and medical diagnostics. Modules for optical and electrochemical detection of a chosen bioanalyte, urea, were designed, made and tested. The use of two different detection techniques enables to obtain more reliable results of the analysis. Thanks to that, in further studies, there will be a possibility to determine urea in real samples and compare the results with the results obtained in the course of classical analysis.

The designed microsystem consisted of a few elements, each of which fulfilled another function: a module for potentiometric detection, a module of the microreactor, a module for spectrophotometric detection.

The proposed construction is a fully flexible set of miniaturized techniques used in biochemistry and medical diagnostics (areas which are developing quickly nowadays), together with the designed connections enabling to assemble freely as needed in a given analysis. Its outstanding advantage is the possibility of wide application without the need to develop external devices. The purpose of these devices, usually for clinical and toxicological analyses, aa well as specific properties of the analyzed biological systems cause that the designed analyzers should exhibit specific features and parameters. One of the basic problems in bioanalytical tests is small sample volume (measured in milli- or even microlitres), which the lab worker has at their disposal.

Expected results
According to the concept called ”Lab-on-a-chip”, there is a trend to enable any, even multi-stage analysis with one micro-device. Such a device consists of functionally integrated and maximally condensed (on a small area) elements of total volume of a few hundred microliters, responsible for the subsequent stages of the process and the transport of the sample and reagents. The universality of the elements enables to obtain devices of different functionality thanks to various possibilities of connecting them.