The disclosed technology includes device, systems, and methods for detecting an analyte using a biosensor. In some implementations, the biosensor may be a transdermal biosensor including a housing material, a nanocellulose material disposed within the housing material, an enzyme entrapped within the nanocellulose material that produces a chemical or biological product when exposed to a vapor or liquid, and a luminescent material within the nanocellulose material that emits visible light upon a chemical or biological reaction with the chemical or biological product.

Arrays of integrated analytical devices and their methods for production are provided. The arrays are useful in the analysis of highly multiplexed optical reactions in large numbers at high densities, including biochemical reactions, such as nucleic acid sequencing reactions. The devices allow the highly sensitive discrimination of optical signals using features such as spectra, amplitude, and time resolution, or combinations thereof. The devices include an integrated diffractive beam shaping element that provides for the spatial separation of light emitted from the optical reactions.

Described herein is a method for mixing unequal amounts of two reagents to produce a detectable reaction in a microfluidic chip. In one example, there is a fluorescent microfluidic urinary albumin chip (UAL-Chip) that exploits the nonimmunological fluorescent assay. In this chip, we constructed a passive and continuous mixing module, in which the loading process requires only an inexpensive dropper, and the signal is stable over time, as discussed below. We applied a pressure-balancing strategy based on the immiscible oil coverage which highly improves the precision in controlling the mixing ratio of sample and dye. The UAL-Chip has achieved an estimated limit of detection (LOD) of 8.4 μg/ml using albumin standards, which is below the 30 μg albumin per ml urine level considered to be indicative of kidney damage.

A system and kit for measuring analyte concentration in a bodily fluid include a durable component, at least one indicator component including an indicator zone, and at least one moisture sensor. The kit has multiple individually packaged indicator components. Methods of measuring analyte concentration in bodily fluids include the steps of collecting and transporting bodily fluid to at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element and detecting the presence of bodily fluid in contact with the at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element, collecting optical data relating to the at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element with at least one spectrophotometer after a predetermined time period after detecting the presence of bodily fluid, communicating the optical data to a computing system having at least one processor and data storage, and analyzing the optical data to determine at least one analyte concentration in the bodily fluid.

A method for predicting risk of a future disease condition includes the steps of collecting and transporting bodily fluid to at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element, detecting the presence of bodily fluid, collecting optical data relating to the at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element with at least one spectrophotometer after a predetermined time period after detecting the presence of bodily fluid in contact with the colorimetric analyte sensing element, communicating the optical data to a computing system having at least one processor and data storage, analyzing the optical data to determine at least one analyte concentration in the bodily fluid, identifying a threshold analyte concentration of the at least one analyte in the bodily fluid that is an indicator of the risk of developing a future disease condition; and recording the at least one analyte concentration in the bodily fluid over time.

A disposable indicator component for use in a system for measuring analyte concentration in a bodily fluid includes an indicator zone comprising at least one colorimetric analyte sensing element, and a coupler for coupling the indicator component to a component having at least one spectrophotometer contained within a housing.

A method of reading a coupon channel that displays a test section pattern after being exposed to a target substance, the method uses a device having a computer readable memory, digital camera, logic assembly and user interface; providing a pixel target intensity profile; placing the coupon in the device and exposing the coupon channel to a test fluid mixture; automatically using the digital camera to take a digital image of the coupon channel test section after the exposure. The improvement in the method includes finding the contiguous set of pixels from the test section of the coupon channel that best matches the intensity profile of the target pattern representation and determining if this best match set of pixels exceeds a similarity threshold and in response to a best match set of pixels passing the similarity threshold, automatically providing a human perceptible indication that the target substance has been detected.

Methods for making nanocomposites are provided. In an embodiment, such a method comprises combining a first type of nanostructure with a bulk material in water or an aqueous solution, the first type of nanostructure functionalized with a functional group capable of undergoing van der Waals interactions with the bulk material, whereby the first type of nanostructure induces exfoliation of the bulk material to provide a second, different type of nanostructure while inducing association between the first and second types of nanostructures to form the nanocomposite.

The present invention relates to a reusable optical fiber aptasensor using a photo-thermal effect, and more particularly, to a reusable optical fiber aptasensor using white light and a laser. The aptasensor includes a light emitting unit for selectively emitting one of white light and a laser, a sensor unit including a plurality of aptamers, a plurality of gold nanorods, and a silver mirror, a detector for analyzing a wavelength of inputted light, and an optical fiber for connecting the light emitting unit with the sensor unit, and connecting the detector with the sensor unit, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting unit is totally reflected in the optical fiber and irradiated to the sensor unit, and light reflected from the silver mirror of the sensor unit is irradiated to the detector. Accordingly, the aptasensor easily measures concentration of a target material in a sample using the optical fiber.

A method for detecting an analyte comprising 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in a sample comprising: providing an indicator solution, comprising a cation and an anion; bringing in contact and/or interacting the indicator solution and the sample comprising the analyte; photocatalytically induced forming of an anionic TNT sigma complex, comprising the analyte and the anion, by means of exposure of the indicator solution and the sample brought in contact with one another; fluorescence optically detecting the formed anionic TNT sigma complex.