3-D microarray and its microfabrication-free fluidic immunoassay device

Conventional 2-D microarray is known to have high-throughput detection capability; however, the sensing spots density is significantly hindered by the spot-to-spot distance (gap) requirement for eliminating cross-talks between adjacent spots. Herein a new conceptual 3-D microarray device is proposed to significantly improve the spots density. To demonstrate advantages of the 3-D array, a microfabrication-free fluidic immunoassay device is further made by simply coupling an antibodies-arrayed glass cuboid into a circular glass tube. Rapid, sensitive and high-throughput flow-through immunoassays were accomplished with the 3-D array-based device for detection limits of 10–100 pg mL⁻¹ and wide dynamic range over 4–5 orders of magnitude in human serum with cancer biomarkers α-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as model targets, holding great promise for practical clinical applications. The 3-D microarray device not only significantly increases the density of sensing spots, but also greatly enhances the mass transport for rapid immunoassay when using in a flow-through device.