Lab-on-a-chip: Portable diagnostic laboratory for measuring thyroid related hormones

Chronical conditions are expected to account for 60% or the global burden of diseases by 2020 [1]. This project addresses a class of chronical diseases related to the thyroid gland with the aim to improve the diagnostics and treatment process of thyroid patients.

Background

Metabolic and endocrine disorders are a group of disorders that alter the metabolism, i.e. the process the body uses to make energy from food. Abnormal chemical reactions in the body can disrupt this process and this can happen when some organs, e.g. the liver, the pancreas or the thyroid gland become diseased or do not function properly. The thyroid gland has a major role in the regulating the metabolic rate and protein synthesis. Symptoms of thyroid related disorders are often vague and require measuring the levels of the thyroid related hormones TSH, T3 and T4. In USA, it is estimated that 12% of the population will develop some thyroid disorder [2]. In Denmark, this number is approximated to be around 10% [3]. If left untreated the disorder can become dangerous, leading to heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility and even heart failure. However, when properly diagnosed and medicated a thyroid disorders can have little to no effect on the quality of life of the diseased.

Objectives

In this project we aim to develop a robust and simple to operate portable smart-phone based microfluidics diagnostic platform suitable for point of care applications. We aims to employs digital microfluidics biochip in the sample preparation process in parallel with biosensing techniques, in order to perform parallel screening for multiple biomarkers such as the thyroid related hormones. Parallelizing the analytical process has the advantage of significantly reducing the time required for medical exams, provide more accurate insight of the patient’s condition and disease treatment, and lower both direct and indirect costs.