Development of an affimer based lateral flow immunoassay using magnetic beads as optical reporters

• Main Author: Yeo, Keith Shi Jie
• Other Authors: Alfred Tok Iing Yoong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Materials::Biomaterials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138142
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Lateral flow immunoassay are growing as an important diagnostic tool due to its convenience and effectiveness. In this report, we explore the effectiveness of conducting a lateral flow immunoassay utilizing affimers as the main bio-recognition molecule over antibodies with magnetic beads as labels. Affimers are man-made protein that are an alternative to antibodies. Affimers are more stable and are more easily produced as compared to animal-derived antibody protein molecules. The use of affimers conjugated to magnetic beads would allow for a more stable and effective testing method, eliminating most of the antibodies limitations. Flow rate on the strip, magnetic bead volume, concentration, the affinity of the magnetic beads to the analyte on the strip and the optimal analyte concentration to be used were also experimented upon to create optimal conditions for the immunoassay. Characterization techniques such as Dynamic light scattering and Scanning electron microscopy were used in the various experiments to determine the success of the protocol.