In a low-resource setting, an ideal disease diagnostic modality is an eye visualization assay that can be performed in minutes by untrained personnel. This presentation reports on the development of a self-catalytic colorimetric assay to detect the existence of a biomarker. By introducing the initiator molecules to the self-catalytic system specifically to the presence of biomarker, self-catalytic reactions were initiated, thereby producing a significant amount of acid to be visualized in a pH indicator solution, which in turn, indicated the presence of the biomarker target.  Amplification of at least a trillion fold was achieved within 1.5 minutes.  Using this assay, we were able to rapidly detect the presence of protein targets in picomolar range and cancer cells in a mixture of cancer and normal cells at single cell level by naked eye.  It is a rapid bioassay with minimum engagement of sophisticated instrument, yet performs equal or better than current diagnostic tests. The inherent simplicity and low cost of this method makes self-catalytic colorimetric visualization assay as a potential tool in clinical screening to function as a �yes/no� check to facilitate quick decisions.

Self-catalytic colorimetric visualization assay for disease diagnosis

248th National Meeting (2014)

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