Sensitivity Enhancement of Multiplex Lateral Flow Immunoassays by NIR-II Fluorescence and Thermal Contrast.

ABSTRACT: Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are widely used for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics but often suffer from limited sensitivity and specificity compared with laboratory methods. Here, we present a multimodal LFA platform integrating colorimetric, photothermal, and second near-infrared window (NIR-II) fluorescence readouts for enhanced sensitivity and multiplexed detection. Gold nanorods were coupled with bright NIR-II emissive polymer dots to generate plasmon-enhanced fluorescence and efficient photothermal signals within a single probe. As proof-of-concept, carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were selected as target biomarkers for breast cancer screening and broader cancer indication, respectively. Both thermometric and NIR-II fluorescence modes achieved compara

SUBMITTER: Luo YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12921665 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature