RGO-Paper Sensor for Point-of-Care Detection of Lipase in Blood Serum

Pancreatic disorders, originating from alcoholism or other sources, have grown into an epidemic in modern society. It is now well known that regular monitoring of α-amylase and lipase activities in the blood serum is crucial to judge the condition of the pancreas and assess progress in treatment. However, there is hardly any gadget available at the user's site which can provide guidance on pancreatic health. The present spectroscopic techniques used in pathological laboratories are not only costly but also involve significant time and expertise for testing and analysis. In view of the above, we report the development of a paper-based chemiresistive sensor for the quantitative detection of lipase concentration in human serum. The sensor can be integrated with a point-of-care-testing (POCT) device to provide affordable primary healthcare related to the pancreatic disorders. The hydrolysis of olive oil with lipase present in human blood serum results in the generation of H ⁺ ions on a reduced graphene oxide-coated paper substrate. A linear variation in electrical resistance with lipase loading in serum configured the working principle of the sensor. The sensors are characterized and calibrated with known concentrations of lipase followed by successful validation with real-life human serum samples. The lower cost, simpler operation, smaller response time, and easy disposability of the sensors ensure their suitability to evolve into a POCT kit for the regular monitoring of pancreatic health at the user's end.