Evaluation of PPC / mBio Inc.’s Biochip Reader Integrated Circuit Reader System for Diagnosis of HIV / HCV Infection: Preliminary Method

Abstract

The technological advances of recent decades in immunodiagnostic techniques have enabled the development of methods capable of detecting the antigen-antibody complex with high efficiency and reliability. However, the cost of such procedures has remained high; they are not easy to handle for an unskilled professional, nor provide immediate results for multiple samples. Precision Photonics Corporation (PPC), with m/Bio Inc. and in partnership with the University of San Diego (UCSD), USA, created an integrated circuit reader (Biochip Reader), which is low cost, fast and easy to handle, based on an optical systems and multiplex arrangements for the detection of biological multi-markers at the same time. This study aimed to evaluate the operation of the integrated circuit reader system (Biochip Reader), the protocols and the results of the multiplex tests for antibodies against HIV and HCV in partnership with the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). We tested a total of 65 samples in the Biochip reader, and they showed 100% of sensitivity and specificity when compared to the results obtained by ELISA for HIV and HCV. Nevertheless, the protocols and the results obtained in Bahia presented slide instability, such as the formation of crystals and trehalose residues, unnecessary steps and manipulation of the slides. This fact led to changing the protocol and improving the prototype. However, more tests with new biomarkers are needed to validate the method.