Lecture
Detection of small molecules with Lateral Flow Tests – Examples and future perspectives
- at -
- ICM Saal 4b
- Type: Lecture
Lecture description
There is a high demand for tailored point-of-care (POC) testing solutions in different fields of application where detection of small molecules is required.
Mobile detection of drugs of abuse (DOA) is a good example for capabilities of lateral flow test (LFTs) for rapid and sensitive detection of small molecules at the POC. Although LFT technology is used for more than two centuries in this context of DOA detection from oral fluid, significant improvements in reducing the time to result and also enhancing sensitivity were recently made.
Still for numerous other applications no suitable solution is readily available. This is often due to limiting factors of „classical“ LFT technology, like limited sensitivitiy in general or restrictions in stability by utilized biomolecules. But there are a number of new trends emerging, combining LFTs with new technological features with like non biological sensor molecules e.g. aptames [1], [2] or to enhance sensitivity by improving readout with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) [3], DNA origami [4] or electrochemical detection [5]. This may lead to solutions for existing challenges and open new fields of application for detecting small molecules with LFTs.
Literature:
[1] Erkocyigit B, Man E, Efecan E, Ozufuklar O, Devecioglu D, Bagci B, Aldemir E, Coskunol H, Evran S, Guler Celik E. Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Detection of Methamphetamine and Cocaine via Aptamer-Based Lateral Flow Test. Biosensors (Basel). 2025 Jan 9;15(1):31. doi: 10.3390/bios15010031. PMID: 39852082; PMCID: PMC11764150.
[2] Kaiser L, Weisser J, Kohl M, Deigner HP. Small molecule detection with aptamer based lateral flow assays: Applying aptamer-C-reactive protein cross-recognition for ampicillin detection. Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 4;8(1):5628. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23963-6. PMID: 29618771; PMCID: PMC5884802.
[3] S. Schlücker GIT Labor-Fachzeitschrift 3/2022, S. 26–28, Wiley-VCH GmbH, Weinheim, https://analyticalscience.wiley.com
[4] Ijäs H, Trommler J, Nguyen L, van Rest S, Nickels PC, Liedl T, Urban MJ. DNA origami signal amplification in lateral flow immunoassays. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 4;16(1):3216. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57385-6. PMID: 40185718; PMCID: PMC11971289.
[5] Perju A, Wongkaew N. Integrating high-performing electrochemical transducers in lateral flow assay. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2021 Sep;413(22):5535-5549. doi: 10.1007/s00216-021-03301-y. Epub 2021 Apr 28. PMID: 33913001; PMCID: PMC8410735.
Mobile detection of drugs of abuse (DOA) is a good example for capabilities of lateral flow test (LFTs) for rapid and sensitive detection of small molecules at the POC. Although LFT technology is used for more than two centuries in this context of DOA detection from oral fluid, significant improvements in reducing the time to result and also enhancing sensitivity were recently made.
Still for numerous other applications no suitable solution is readily available. This is often due to limiting factors of „classical“ LFT technology, like limited sensitivitiy in general or restrictions in stability by utilized biomolecules. But there are a number of new trends emerging, combining LFTs with new technological features with like non biological sensor molecules e.g. aptames [1], [2] or to enhance sensitivity by improving readout with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) [3], DNA origami [4] or electrochemical detection [5]. This may lead to solutions for existing challenges and open new fields of application for detecting small molecules with LFTs.
Literature:
[1] Erkocyigit B, Man E, Efecan E, Ozufuklar O, Devecioglu D, Bagci B, Aldemir E, Coskunol H, Evran S, Guler Celik E. Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Detection of Methamphetamine and Cocaine via Aptamer-Based Lateral Flow Test. Biosensors (Basel). 2025 Jan 9;15(1):31. doi: 10.3390/bios15010031. PMID: 39852082; PMCID: PMC11764150.
[2] Kaiser L, Weisser J, Kohl M, Deigner HP. Small molecule detection with aptamer based lateral flow assays: Applying aptamer-C-reactive protein cross-recognition for ampicillin detection. Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 4;8(1):5628. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23963-6. PMID: 29618771; PMCID: PMC5884802.
[3] S. Schlücker GIT Labor-Fachzeitschrift 3/2022, S. 26–28, Wiley-VCH GmbH, Weinheim, https://analyticalscience.wiley.com
[4] Ijäs H, Trommler J, Nguyen L, van Rest S, Nickels PC, Liedl T, Urban MJ. DNA origami signal amplification in lateral flow immunoassays. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 4;16(1):3216. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57385-6. PMID: 40185718; PMCID: PMC11971289.
[5] Perju A, Wongkaew N. Integrating high-performing electrochemical transducers in lateral flow assay. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2021 Sep;413(22):5535-5549. doi: 10.1007/s00216-021-03301-y. Epub 2021 Apr 28. PMID: 33913001; PMCID: PMC8410735.
