Development of rapid semi-quantitative point of care (POC) device for ammonia detection

全血氨检测在许多肝脏疾病的诊断和治疗中都有应用，包括肝硬化和罕见的尿素循环障碍。目前的氨测量技术存在范围有限、分辨率差、误报或大型、复杂的传感器设置等问题。目前的项目是开发一种方法和一次性一次性护理点设备，用于检测血液中的氨，包括所有化学试剂。目的是开发一种利用廉价试剂和简单方法检测小体积全血中氨的技术。因此，我们的目标是该试剂盒在源头使用最少的实验室程序，没有样品处理步骤。因此，本研究将致力于开发分离或保留血液样本中可能对氨测量产生不利影响的红细胞或杂质的方法。这种传感器将利用改良形式的吲哚酚反应，与过滤膜结合使用，可以抵抗血液中的破坏性干扰源。该产品将具有对其他含胺分子（如氨基酸）具有选择性的传感方案，并具有至少50天的保质期。此外，由此产生的系统将被修改为具有高灵敏度，并允许在25至500 μ M的最小范围内对全人血液样本中的氨进行准确可靠的半定量，这与罕见的高氨血症疾病和肝脏疾病临床相关。

Ammonia detection in whole blood has applications in the diagnosis and management of many hepatic diseases, including cirrhosis and rare urea cycle disorders. Current techniques for ammonia measurement suffer from limited range, poor resolution, false positives or large, complex sensor set-ups. The current project is undertaken to develop a method and a disposable single-use point of care device for ammonia testing in blood including all chemical reagents. The aim is to develop a technique utilizing inexpensive reagents and simple methods for detecting ammonia in minimum volume of whole blood.Since, we aim this kit to be used at the source with minimum laboratory procedures and no sample processing steps. Hence, the present study will aim to develop methods to separate or withhold red blood cells or impurities in the blood sample that could adversely affect the measurement of ammonia. The sensor would exploit the modified form of the indophenol reaction, which resists sources of destructive interference in blood, in conjunction with a filter membrane.The product will have a sensing scheme that is selective against other amine containing molecules such as amino acids and has a shelf life of at least 50 days. Additionally, the resulting system will be modified to have high sensitivity and allows for the accurate reliable semi-quantification of ammonia in whole human blood samples at a minimum range of 25 to 500 µM, which is clinically relevant for rare hyperammonemic disorders and liver disease.