Development of a novel quantitative lateral flow assay for vancomycin for therapeutic drug monitoring
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Antibiotic optimisation through therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a key strategy in tackling antimicrobial resistance. However, current quantification methods rely on laboratory-based equipment, delaying timely dose adjustments. We developed a novel point-of-care lateral flow assay (LFA) for the quantification of vancomycin in serum. Unlike conventional LFAs with a single test and control line, this assay incorporates two test lines: one for vancomycin binding and one for avidin capture of excess conjugate. Gold nanoparticles were conjugated to biotinylated bovine serum albumin–vancomycin, enabling competitive binding with anti-vancomycin antibodies and avidin capture. Signal ratios from smartphone-acquired images were quantified using an automated image analysis algorithm. Applied to vancomycin in serum, the LFA demonstrated a quantitative detection range of 2.88 to 45,000 ng/mL, with good accuracy, reproducibility, and high recovery in spiked samples. This approach offers a promising solution for decentralised, rapid TDM in clinical settings, especially where timely dose optimisation is critical.
Date Issued
2025-07-08
Date Acceptance
2025-06-25
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2025, 15
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
15
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40628844
PII: 10.1038/s41598-025-09145-1
Subjects
Lateral flow assay
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Point of care
Science & Technology
Science & Technology - Other Topics
SMARTPHONE
STRIP
SYSTEM
Therapeutic drug monitoring
Vancomycin
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
24398
Date Publish Online
2025-07-08