Low-Cost Microdevices for Point-of-Care Testing - Point-of-Care Diagnostics on a Chip - page 15

Fig. 1.6 BioHelix' IsoAmp Molecular Analyzer is an instrument-free molecular diagnostic
platform for IsoAmp assays (Taken from www.biohelix.com with permission from BioHelix Corp)

1.4.4 Clinical Chemistry Assays

Clinical chemistry encompasses the measurement of a wide range of blood param-
eters, including gases, electrolytes, hemoglobin, pH, enzymes, metabolites, lipids,
hormones, vitamins and trace factors, inflammatory markers and cytokines, coagula-
tion proteins, therapeutic drugs, and drugs of abuse [ 12 , 76 ]. Frequent sampling and
fast diagnostic monitoring (in situations such as intensive care units and operating
rooms) drive the need for clinical chemistry tests at the point-of-care [ 12 ]. In
addition, POC testing for clinical chemistry markers can be more accurate by
avoiding analyte changes during sample transport to laboratories. These analyte
changes can be caused by the delayed release of analytes (e.g., release of K C from
red blood cells during refrigerated storage), by continued metabolism (e.g., decrease
in glucose and pH and increase in lactate from active red blood cells under hypoxic
conditions), and by protein/peptide degradation in whole blood [ 76 ].