A new method is presented for smartphone-based impedance spectroscopy, especially fine-tuned for biomimetic sensor readout. Complete user control is given by means of an app while the on-board audio hardware of the smartphone or tablet PC is used to perform impedance measurements. This considerably limits the required external hardware. Disposable test strips can be mounted for convenient readout of various sensors. The system is verified on passive components and a synthetic molecularly imprinted polymer histamine sensor. The prototype design could prove a useful step toward the development of home-diagnostics biosensing applications.
Phone: þ32 11 26 88 04, Fax: þ32 11 26 88 99 Web: http://www.uhasselt.be/IMO Molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) sensors offer a high potential in the development of cheap small-scale disposable biomimetic sensors. Molecular imprinting leads to the formation of inert polymer particles with nanocavities, which can exhibit similar selectivity and specificity to target molecules as antibodies or enzymes. These sensors open up many possible applications in the field of mass-market consumer products such as food packaging sensors. One such application is the detection of histamine in spoiled fish, which causes scombroid poisoning, a common seafood poisoning.This contribution provides one possible solution for easing the use of these sensors in field applications. A screen-printed shortrange wireless MIP-based biosensor based upon passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags was developed as a proof of principle. Histamine molecules binding to an MIP recognition layer induce a dielectric change in the sensor capacitance, resulting in a resonance frequency shift that is transmitted by inductive coupling. This wireless sensor is capable of detecting histamine concentrations as low as 50 nM at a range of a few centimeters.
A miniaturised, low cost impedance analyser is developed to ease the use of impedance spectroscopy in biological setups. This could form the first step towards fully standalone, handheld biosensor applications. The system is capable of performing quasi-simultaneous time resolved impedance measurements on eight different channels in a frequency range of 10 Hz-100 kHz. The unit is accurate in a broad impedance range and is able to perform stable measurements over intervals of several days. The system is characterised by passive components, a temperature controlled wet cell based impedance setup and a biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based histamine sensor. The test results all indicate accurate and stable functioning of the unit, making it suitable for bioanalytical applications.
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