| dc.description.abstract | Preeclampsia is a condition that develops late in pregnancy and accounts for 75,000 maternal and 500,000 newborn deaths each year. Preeclampsia is commonly identified late in pregnancy using a generalized symptoms-based approach. Treatment options are limited at this stage. As such, this work investigated an alternative approach for diagnosing preeclampsia through the development of a diagnostic test for epigenetic biomarkers—i.e., miRNA-17 and miRNA-20a—associated with the onset of preeclampsia. The upregulation of these miRNAs occurs around the 9th week of pregnancy, inducing gene expression which causes the onset of symptoms that evolve into preeclampsia. A diagnostic tool was developed to pinpoint these biological changes by quantitatively determining the concentration of miRNA-17 and miRNA- 20a. This was achieved using an adapted split sandwich assay, 3D paper fluidics, Raman reporter labeled and functionalized gold nanoparticles, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The assay was incorporated into a 3D paper fluidic platform that uses both lateral and vertical flow. This design ensures that assay-specific sensing reagents and buffers are stored within the paper fluidic platform, which, in turn, promotes the binding of nanoparticles with miRNA-17 and miRNA-20a in solution for ultimate detection. The resultant SERS signal produced by the assay was analyzed using a handheld Raman system. The results were then used to quantify miRNA-17 and miRNA-20a concentrations ranging from 100 pM to 100 fM in solution. | en |
