Quantitative measurement of hepatitis B surface antigen using laser-assisted lateral flow assay

Abstract

Lateral flow assay (LFA) has firmly established itself as a prominent technique for qualitative assessments. However, its potential in quantitative analysis remains limited. In this study, we adapted the laser-assisted absorption measurement of LFA for quantitative detection. LFA assay relies on immobilization of colloidal gold nanoparticles conjugated to the target analyte on the test strip. The abundance of these gold nanoparticles can be quantified by absorption measurement, allowing to determine the concentration of analytes. Rigorous experimental validation of the laser-assisted technology was performed by testing a cohort of 20 patients for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Notably, our results show that the laser-assisted LFA and the gold standard technique like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are similar statistically.

Keywords

• Lateral flow assay (LFA)
• Antigen detection
• Laser-assisted technology
• Colloidal gold nanoparticles
• Healthcare integration