Microfluidic Paper-Based Portable Biochemistry Analyzer for Blood Parameter Sensing

Abstract

A compact, portable, paper-based biochemistry analyzer has been developed for cost-effective, point-of-care blood parameter analysis. The device employs wax-printed paper-based micro-pads ( $\mu $ pads) coated with specific reagents to detect critical blood parameters. It analyzes blood serum for sugar, proteins, enzymes, electrolytes, and lipids, aiding in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating various medical conditions. A 3-D printed device is designed that houses a multispectral sensor (AS7341) interfaced with an ESP32 microcontroller measures absorbed light to analyze concentration in real time. To validate the performance of the developed device, various parameters, including albumin, creatinine, urea, triglycerides, total protein, and glucose, are tested. The $\mu $ pads allow precise detection using a minimal sample volume of $100~\mu $ L, making it especially suitable for low-resource settings. Additionally, the linear range for respective analytes is: albumin up to 8 g/dL, creatinine up to 20 mg/dL, triglycerides up to 1000 mg/dL, total protein up to 15 g/dL, and glucose up to 600 mg/dL, with corresponding limits of detection (LODs) at 0.134 g/dL, 0.087 mg/dL, 0.055 mg/dL, 0.094 g/dL, and 0.095 mg/dL, respectively. The portable design, combined with its ease of use and low-cost components, makes this analyzer a practical solution for point-of-care diagnostics, particularly in remote or underserved regions, where conventional laboratory equipment is impractical due to size, cost, and operational requirements. By overcoming the limitations of traditional bulky analyzers, this device has the potential to significantly enhance accessibility to biochemical diagnostics in healthcare.