Point-of-care biosensing is changing how diseases can be detected and monitored. By bringing highly sensitive biosensing devices closer to the patient, these technologies have the potential to deliver faster results, simplify workflows, and expand access to advanced diagnostics outside traditional laboratories.
A recent publication from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), developed within the Molecular Biosensing Group led by Professor Peter Zijlstra, presents a compact platform capable of continuous single-molecule biosensing. By combining miniaturized optics with automated microfluidics, the researchers demonstrate how laboratory-level performance can be achieved in a portable system for future point-of-care diagnostics.
In this article, we look at the principles behind point-of-care biosensing, the challenges of developing portable biosensing platforms, and how automated microfluidics, including the AMF LSPone programmable syringe pump, contributed to this research.
Point-of-care (POC) biosensors are diagnostic devices designed to detect biological molecules close to where patient care takes place, rather than in a centralized laboratory. They enable healthcare professionals to obtain results more quickly, supporting faster diagnosis and treatment decisions.
A biosensor combines a biological recognition element with a sensing technology that converts the interaction with a target analyte into a measurable signal. Depending on the application, the target can be DNA, RNA, proteins, enzymes, or other biomarkers associated with infectious diseases, cancer, or chronic conditions.
Several biosensing technologies are used in point-of-care diagnostics. Electrochemical biosensors measure electrical signals generated by biochemical reactions and are widely used in glucose monitoring and other medical applications. Optical biosensors, including fluorescence and plasmonic approaches, detect changes in light to achieve highly sensitive molecular detection. Other technologies, such as lateral flow assays, provide rapid and easy-to-use testing for many routine diagnostic applications.
As point-of-care biosensors continue to evolve, researchers are developing devices that are smaller, more sensitive, and capable of real-time monitoring. The goal is to combine laboratory-level analytical performance with compact, cost-effective platforms that can be used in hospitals, clinics, or even at home.
The publication highlighted in this article demonstrates one of these next-generation approaches. Instead of relying on conventional laboratory microscopes, the researchers developed a miniaturized optical biosensing platform capable of detecting single molecules while integrating automated microfluidics for continuous biomarker monitoring.
While point-of-care biosensors offer many advantages, matching the performance of laboratory instruments remains a significant challenge. Portable devices must provide rapid and reliable results while remaining compact, cost-effective, and easy to operate.
One of the biggest challenges is achieving a high detection sensitivity in a smaller instrument. Detecting very low concentrations of biomarkers often requires sophisticated optical or electrochemical technologies that are traditionally found in large laboratory equipment. Reducing the size of these systems without compromising the detection limit or measurement accuracy is a major engineering challenge.
Another challenge is ensuring reliable sample handling. Many biosensing applications require precise fluid delivery, controlled reagent exchange, and stable flow conditions throughout the experiment. Manual liquid handling can introduce variability, making automation an important part of modern biosensing platforms, especially for continuous monitoring applications.
Finally, point-of-care devices must be designed for real-world use. Researchers aim to reduce system complexity and cost while maintaining reproducible performance. This requires the integration of compact optics, intelligent software, automated microfluidics, and robust sensing technologies into a single platform.
The publication featured in this article demonstrates how these challenges can be addressed. By combining a miniaturized optical system with automated microfluidics, the researchers developed a compact platform capable of continuous single-molecule biosensing while maintaining a detection limit comparable to much larger research-grade microscope systems.
Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) developed a compact microscopy platform capable of detecting single molecules while remaining significantly smaller and more affordable than conventional research-grade systems. Their objective was to demonstrate that highly sensitive point-of-care biosensing does not necessarily require large, expensive laboratory equipment.
The platform combines optical biosensing, plasmon-enhanced fluorescence, automated microfluidics and software-controlled data analysis to detect DNA biomarkers in real time while maintaining a low detection limit.
Rather than focusing on a single technological improvement, this work combines compact optics, plasmon-enhanced fluorescence, automated microfluidics, and software-controlled liquid handling into a single integrated biosensing platform. The result is a practical demonstration of how next-generation point-of-care biosensors can become smaller, easier to operate, and more accessible without sacrificing analytical performance.
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The compact platform developed by the researchers reduced the cost of the optical system by more than 95% compared with a traditional research microscope, while still achieving a detection limit of approximately 11 pM and a response time of around two minutes. This demonstrates how miniaturization and automation can make highly sensitive point-of-care biosensing more accessible.
To demonstrate continuous point-of-care biosensing, the researchers combined several complementary technologies into a single automated workflow.
The sensing surface was functionalized with gold nanorods carrying DNA capture probes. When a target DNA molecule was present, it temporarily bound to these probes together with a fluorescent detection probe, creating a measurable single-molecule event.
Instead of relying on conventional fluorescence microscopy alone, the platform used plasmon-enhanced fluorescence. The gold nanorods amplified the fluorescent signal, allowing individual molecular binding events to be detected even with a compact optical system. This approach made it possible to reduce both the size and cost of the microscope while maintaining high analytical sensitivity.
Unlike electrochemical biosensors, which detect changes in electrical signals generated by biochemical reactions, this platform relies on optical detection combined with plasmon-enhanced fluorescence to achieve highly sensitive single-molecule biosensing. Both approaches play an important role in modern point-of-care diagnostics, depending on the target application.
To perform continuous measurements, samples and reagents were delivered automatically through a microfluidic system. Precise liquid handling ensured reproducible sample exchange without interrupting the experiment, enabling long-term monitoring of changing biomarker concentrations.
Custom software continuously analyzed the fluorescence signal, identifying individual binding events and converting them into quantitative biosensing data. This automated workflow allowed the researchers to monitor biomarker concentrations in real time while minimizing operator intervention.
Together, these technologies demonstrate that high-performance point-of-care biosensing depends on much more than the sensing principle itself. Optical detection, microfluidics, liquid handling, and data analysis all work together to create a compact, reliable, and automated biosensing platform.
Building a high-performance biosensing platform is not only about choosing the right sensing technology. To produce reliable and reproducible results, every liquid handling step must also be precisely controlled.
Automated microfluidics plays a key role by ensuring:
These advantages become even more important for point-of-care biosensing, where compact devices are expected to deliver laboratory-quality performance while remaining simple to operate.
In the featured publication, automated microfluidics was integrated directly into the biosensing platform to control sample injection, reagent exchange, and continuous biomarker monitoring. This allowed the researchers to focus on the biosensing experiment itself while ensuring stable and repeatable liquid handling throughout the measurement.
Continuous biomarker monitoring requires much more than a highly sensitive optical platform. It also depends on precise, automated liquid handling capable of delivering samples and reagents in a repeatable manner.
The research team integrated an AMF LSPone programmable syringe pump into the microfluidic setup. Connected to multiple sample reservoirs, a sensing buffer, a waste container, and the microfluidic chamber, the LSPone automatically exchanged solutions throughout the 90-minute experiment under software control.
This automation allowed the researchers to:
By integrating automated liquid handling directly into the biosensing platform, the researchers created a complete workflow where optics, microfluidics, and software worked together. This enabled reproducible experiments while allowing the sensing platform to continuously track changes in biomarker concentration over time.
Rather than developing a custom liquid handling system, the research team integrated the AMF LSPone programmable syringe pump to automate fluid delivery throughout the continuous biosensing experiments. As described in the publication, the pump was connected to multiple sample reservoirs, a sensing buffer, a waste container, and the microfluidic chamber, allowing the entire experiment to be controlled from a computer using the LSPoneQuick software.
How the LSPone contributed to the experiment
✓ Automated sample injection Sequentially delivered samples with different DNA concentrations to the sensing platform.
✓ Continuous biomarker monitoring Enabled automated fluid exchange without disturbing the optical measurements.
✓ Software-controlled protocols The entire liquid handling sequence was programmed and executed automatically through a USB connection.
✓ Reduced cross-contamination Automatic rinsing cycles between samples helped prevent carryover and ensured reliable measurements.
✓ Reproducible experiments By automating every liquid handling step, the researchers minimized manual intervention and improved the repeatability of the biosensing workflow.
The LSPone is a programmable laboratory syringe pump designed for precision liquid handling in research and advanced microfluidic applications. It combines a high-precision syringe pump with an integrated rotary valve, enabling automated aspiration, dispensing, rinsing, and sample switching within a single compact instrument.
For applications requiring even greater precision, the LSPone HD offers the same flexibility with a significantly higher positioning resolution of 1,296,000 microsteps, enabling ultra-low flow rates and highly reproducible liquid handling. This makes it particularly well suited for demanding applications such as single-molecule biosensing, molecular diagnostics, analytical chemistry, and advanced microfluidics.
The publication demonstrates how the LSPone can be integrated into a sophisticated biosensing platform, where reliable and automated liquid handling is just as important as the sensing technology itself. Whether using the standard LSPone or the higher-resolution HD version, researchers benefit from programmable workflows, low internal volume, and seamless integration into automated experimental setups.
Because the LSPone is a commercially available instrument, other research groups can reproduce or adapt a similar experimental workflow without developing a custom liquid handling system from scratch.
Point-of-care biosensing is evolving rapidly. As sensing technologies become more sensitive and compact, the next generation of biosensors will not only detect biomarkers faster but also become smarter, more connected, and easier to use.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning can analyze large volumes of biosensor data, improve signal interpretation, reduce false positives and support clinical decision-making. Future biosensing platforms may combine AI with cloud computing and smartphone-assisted biosensors for real-time diagnostics.
As AI continues to evolve, future biosensing platforms will increasingly combine automated fluid handling, real-time data analysis and intelligent decision support within a single integrated system.
Compact biosensors are expected to become more accessible outside traditional laboratories. Smartphone-assisted biosensors, cloud connectivity, and remote monitoring could allow healthcare professionals to perform advanced molecular diagnostics closer to the patient, whether in hospitals, clinics, or remote locations.
Rather than providing a single measurement, future biosensors will increasingly monitor biomarkers over time. Continuous monitoring could improve the management of chronic diseases, support personalized medicine, and provide earlier detection of disease progression or treatment response.
Future point-of-care devices will rely on the seamless integration of biosensors, microfluidics, automated liquid handling, software, and data analysis. As demonstrated in this publication, reliable automation is becoming just as important as the sensing technology itself for achieving reproducible and clinically relevant results.
The work presented by the Molecular Biosensing Group at Eindhoven University of Technology illustrates this direction. By combining miniaturized optics, automated microfluidics, and continuous biosensing into a single compact platform, the researchers demonstrate how future point-of-care diagnostic devices could deliver laboratory-quality performance in a much smaller and more accessible format.
As these technologies continue to mature, automated fluid handling will remain a key building block for the next generation of portable biosensing systems, helping researchers translate innovative concepts into practical healthcare solutions.
The work presented by the Molecular Biosensing Group at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) demonstrates how advances in optics, microfluidics, and automation are bringing high-performance point-of-care biosensing closer to real-world healthcare applications.
If you are developing portable biosensing devices, automated microfluidic systems, or next-generation diagnostic platforms, this publication provides valuable insights into the design, implementation, and validation of a compact continuous biosensing platform.
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