Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays

Receptor-based biosensors often suffer from slow analyte diffusion, leading to extended assay times. Moreover, existing methods to enhance diffusion can be complex and costly. In response to this challenge, we presented a rapid and cost-effective technique for fabricating concave magnetic-responsive...

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Main Authors: Amin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh, Huiyan Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Biosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/14/12/596
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author Amin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh
Huiyan Li
author_facet Amin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh
Huiyan Li
author_sort Amin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh
collection DOAJ
description Receptor-based biosensors often suffer from slow analyte diffusion, leading to extended assay times. Moreover, existing methods to enhance diffusion can be complex and costly. In response to this challenge, we presented a rapid and cost-effective technique for fabricating concave magnetic-responsive hydrogel discs (CMDs) by straightforward pipetting directly onto microscope glass slides. This approach enables immediate preparation and customization of hydrogel properties such as porosity, magnetic responsiveness, and embedded particles and is adaptable for use with microarray printers. The concave design increased the surface area by 43% compared to conventional hemispherical hydrogels, enhancing diffusion rates and accelerating reactions. By incorporating superparamagnetic particles, the hydrogels become magnetically responsive, allowing for stirring within reagent droplets using magnets to improve mixing. Our experimental results showed that CMDs dissolved approximately 2.5 times faster than hemispherical ones. Numerical simulations demonstrated up to a 46% improvement in diffusion speed within the hydrogel. Particles with lower diffusion coefficients, like human antibodies, benefited most from the concave design, resulting in faster biosensor responses. The increased surface area and ease of fabrication make our CMDs efficient and adaptable for various biological and biomedical applications, particularly in point-of-care diagnostics where rapid and accurate biomarker detection is critical.
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spelling doaj-art-c2ad1d75b7fc48e5b5abc5bcdb07b46d2025-08-20T02:00:51ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742024-12-01141259610.3390/bios14120596Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced BioassaysAmin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh0Huiyan Li1School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaSchool of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaReceptor-based biosensors often suffer from slow analyte diffusion, leading to extended assay times. Moreover, existing methods to enhance diffusion can be complex and costly. In response to this challenge, we presented a rapid and cost-effective technique for fabricating concave magnetic-responsive hydrogel discs (CMDs) by straightforward pipetting directly onto microscope glass slides. This approach enables immediate preparation and customization of hydrogel properties such as porosity, magnetic responsiveness, and embedded particles and is adaptable for use with microarray printers. The concave design increased the surface area by 43% compared to conventional hemispherical hydrogels, enhancing diffusion rates and accelerating reactions. By incorporating superparamagnetic particles, the hydrogels become magnetically responsive, allowing for stirring within reagent droplets using magnets to improve mixing. Our experimental results showed that CMDs dissolved approximately 2.5 times faster than hemispherical ones. Numerical simulations demonstrated up to a 46% improvement in diffusion speed within the hydrogel. Particles with lower diffusion coefficients, like human antibodies, benefited most from the concave design, resulting in faster biosensor responses. The increased surface area and ease of fabrication make our CMDs efficient and adaptable for various biological and biomedical applications, particularly in point-of-care diagnostics where rapid and accurate biomarker detection is critical.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/14/12/596concave hydrogel discsbioassaysmagnetic-responsive hydrogels
spellingShingle Amin Ghaffarzadeh Bakhshayesh
Huiyan Li
Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
Biosensors
concave hydrogel discs
bioassays
magnetic-responsive hydrogels
title Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
title_full Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
title_fullStr Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
title_full_unstemmed Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
title_short Concave Magnetic-Responsive Hydrogel Discs for Enhanced Bioassays
title_sort concave magnetic responsive hydrogel discs for enhanced bioassays
topic concave hydrogel discs
bioassays
magnetic-responsive hydrogels
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/14/12/596
work_keys_str_mv AT aminghaffarzadehbakhshayesh concavemagneticresponsivehydrogeldiscsforenhancedbioassays
AT huiyanli concavemagneticresponsivehydrogeldiscsforenhancedbioassays