Towards microalbuminuria determination on a disposable diagnostic microchip with integrated fluorescence detection based on thin-film organic light emitting diodes

As a first step towards a fully disposable stand-alone diagnostic microchip for determination of urinary human serum albumin (HSA), we report the use of a thin-film organic light emitting diode (OLED) as an excitation source for microscale fluorescence detection. The OLED has a peak emission wavelength of 540 nm, is simple to fabricate on flexible or rigid substrates, and operates at drive voltages below 10 V. In a fluorescence assay, HSA is reacted with Albumin Blue 580, generating a strong emission at 620 nm when excited with the OLED. Filter-less discrimination between excitation light and generated fluorescence is achieved through an orthogonal detection geometry. When the assay is performed in 800 μm deep and 800 μm wide microchannels on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip at flow rates of 20 μL min -1, HSA concentrations down to 10 mg L-1 can be detected with a linear range from 10 to 100 mg L-1. This sensitivity is sufficient for the determination of microalbuminuria (MAU), an increased urinary albumin excretion indicative of renal disease (clinical cut-off levels: 15-40 mg L-1) © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2005.