Rapid Detection of Antibiotics in Patients Whole Blood by New Lateral Flow Tests
Curing postoperative infections involving implants relies critically on effective Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis (PAP) and antibiotic-containing bone spacer. Current monitoring methods for therapeutic drug levels are resource-intensive, slow, and unsuitable for rapid, Point-of-Care (POC) decision-making in the operating room.
This project addresses this gap by developing a novel antibody-based lateral flow test (LFT) for the rapid, intuitive, and semiquantitative detection of antibiotics in the bloodstream at the time of surgery. This innovation aims to provide immediate confirmation of adequate PAP and local antibiotic concentration, enabling rapid clinical decisions regarding therapy.
A central challenge lies in developing an optimally suited, highly reproducible conjugate design that precisely aligns with the antibody's specificity. This includes achieving minimal cross-reactivities, low limits of detection, high stability, and reliable control over the hapten density on the test strip. Only with a well-defined conjugate can sharp test lines and a robust, sensitive assay performance be ensured.
To achieve the necessary sensitivity and ensure effect-based detection cut-offs, the LFT incorporates DNA-Origami. This technology significantly amplifies the signal by increasing the number of color-generating nanoparticles linked to each target analyte, thereby enhancing the test's precision and sensitivity.1
The methodology involves comprehensive analyses, including Bioconjugation, ELISA, MALDI-TOF-MS, and Microarray technology, to validate the system.
References
(1) Ijäs, H.; Trommler, J.; Nguyen, L.; van Rest, S.; Nickels, P. C.; Liedl, T.; Urban, M. J. DNA origami signal amplification in lateral flow immunoassays. Nature Communications 2025, 16 (1), 3216. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57385-6
Funding Cooperation Partners
Bayern Innovativ Securetec Detektions-Systeme AG
Amplifold GmbH
Klinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, MUM Muskuloskelettales Universitätszentrum München