A CMOS-Based Multiomics Detection Platform for Simultaneous Quantification of Proteolytically Active Prostate-Specific Antigen and Glutamate in Urine

By combining information such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data, multi-omics methodologies have the potential to reveal the otherwise invisible processes of carcinogenesis. Using these data, a new generation point-of-care (POC) devices may support patient care through rapid diagnosis involving accurate and simultaneous multi-omics measurements. In this work we present a proof-of-concept portable system capable of measuring a metabolite (glutamate) and a protein (proteolytically active prostate-specific antigen - aPSA) simultaneously on single device in a two-minute interval using on-chip optical methods. The device has the potential to improve the current diagnostic pathways of prostate cancer by reducing the high false-positive rate with the widely used total prostate-specific antigen test. We demonstrate simultaneous assay of glutamate and aPSA in buffer and synthetic urine. For the glutamate assay, the limit of detection (LOD) and resolution were found to be 0.9 μM and 2.7 μM. LOD and resolution for aPSA were 0.5 ng/ml and 2.0 ng/ml. The LOD and resolution achieved using this device are therefore in line with human physiological ranges. The platform is suitable for accommodating two independent optical assays therefore chemistry can be modified to measure different analytes regardless of their nature. This technological breakthrough has the potential to deliver an accurate multi-omics portable device for prostate cancer and may be extended to other diseases.