An optoelectrokinetic technique for programmable particle manipulation and bead-based biosignal enhancement

Technologies that can enable concentration of low-abundance biomarkers are essential for early diagnosis of diseases. In this study, an optoelectrokinetic technique, termed Rapid Electrokinetic Patterning (REP), was used to enable dynamic particle manipulation in bead-based bioassays. Various manipulation capabilities, such as micro/nanoparticle aggregation, translation, sorting and patterning, were developed. The technique allows for versatile multi-parameter (voltage, light intensity and frequency) based modulation and dynamically addressable manipulation with simple device fabrication. Signal enhancement of a bead-based bioassay was demonstrated using dilute biotin–fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) solutions mixed with streptavidin-conjugated particles and rapidly concentrated with the technique. As compared with a conventional ELISA reader, the REP-enabled detection achieved a minimal readout of 3.87 nM, which was a 100-fold improvement in sensitivity. The multi-functional platform provides an effective measure to enhance detection levels in more bead-based bioassays.