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Lateral-flow immunochromatographic assays are low-cost, simple-to-use, rapid tests for point-of-care screening of infectious diseases, drugs of abuse, and pregnancy. However, lateral flow assays are generally not quantitative, give a yes/no answer, and lack multiplexing. Threads have recently been proposed as a support for transporting and mixing liquids in lateral-flow immunochromatographic assays, but their use for quantitative high-sensitivity immunoassays has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we introduce the immunochromatographic assay on thread (ICAT) in a cartridge format that is suitable for multiplexing. The ICAT is a sandwich assay performed on a cotton thread knotted to a nylon fiber bundle, both of which are precoated with recognition antibodies against one target analyte. Upon sample application, the assay results become visible to the eye within a few minutes and are quantified using a flatbed scanner. Assay conditions were optimized, the binding curves for C-reactive protein (CRP) in buffer and diluted serum were established and a limit of detection of 377 pM was obtained. The possibility of multiplexing was demonstrated using three knotted threads coated with antibodies against CRP, osteopontin, and leptin proteins. The performance of the ICAT was compared with that of the paper-based and conventional assays. The results suggest that thread is a suitable support for making low-cost, sensitive, simple-to-use, and multiplexed diagnostic tests.
Zhou et al. (Mon,) studied this question.