A group of scientists is working on making heart failure screening accessible at home. They have developed a point-of-care electrochemical biosensor prototype that looks similar to a transparent COVID-19 lateral flow test.
This device can detect two key biomarkers for heart failure using only a drop of saliva, delivering results in as little as 15 minutes.
Heart failure remains a major cause of mortality globally, particularly affecting individuals who lack access to healthcare facilities.
“Our device would be ideal for people who are at high risk for heart failure but have limited access to a hospital or a centralized lab,” says Trey Pittman, one of the study authors and a graduate student at Colorado State University.
Bringing healthcare home
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle becomes weakened, reducing its ability to pump sufficient oxygenated blood throughout the body. Currently, the most reliable method for detecting heart failure is a blood test performed biannually by a healthcare professional.
This test measures B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a protein that signals the heart is under stress.
Advancements in point-of-care technology could revolutionize this process by introducing simple at-home saliva tests. According to Pittman, such tests could allow individuals to monitor their heart health every few weeks rather than waiting for biannual checkups.
Despite this potential, the widespread adoption of portable saliva tests for heart health has been hindered by complex production methods and a lack of comprehensive data beyond the detection of a single biomarker.
A sandwich for your heart health?
Pittman and his team addressed these challenges and obtained encouraging results from their low-cost, user-friendly biosensor prototype, known as the electrochemical capillary-driven immunoassay (eCaDI).
Charles Henry’s team at Colorado State University developed this portable testing platform by combining two of their earlier innovations: a saliva-based microfluidic device and a biosensor that detects the biomarker proteins Galectin-3 and S100A7. Collaborators from Chamindie Punyadeera’s lab at Griffith University in Australia measured levels of these biomarkers in saliva, finding a strong correlation with heart failure outcomes.
The eCaDI device for heart failure screening is built with five layers, similar to a layered sandwich. It consists of three layers of transparent, flexible plastic, interspersed with layers of double-sided adhesive.
“The devices are very easy to assemble,” says Pittman in the press release . “In about 20 to 30 minutes, we can make five of them.” The eCaDI is single-use, and the researchers estimate that each one costs about $3. The potentiostat, a small reusable power source, sells for about $20.
In their demonstrations, the researchers added controlled amounts of the two heart failure biomarkers to standardized human saliva samples. The eCaDI successfully detected the concentrations of Galectin-3 and S100A7, confirming its accuracy.
“These demonstrations represent an initial step toward developing a reliable and non-invasive electrochemical sensor for heart failure biomarkers,” Pittman states. Moving forward, the team plans to conduct trials at Griffith University, testing the eCaDI on both healthy participants and those diagnosed with heart failure.
“This work may provide a starting point for new saliva testing platforms for other diseases,” Pittman concludes. “It’s a technology that I think could end up helping a lot of people — especially the underserved — live longer, healthier lives.”
This research will be presented at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
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