Towards a portable setup for the on-site SERS detection of miRNAs

The actual implementation of on-site analysis of biomarkers, such as miRNAs, depends on the availability of portable and easy-to-handle detection systems that can be used as point-of-care in real life applications. In this work, an automatized microfluidic platform combined with a portable Raman spectrometer is reported and tested for miR-214 detection by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). A multi-chamber SERS-active chip, functionalized according to a previously optimized two-step hybridization assay, was automatically incubated with the analyte solution. Preliminary tests allowed to adjust the portable Raman spectrometer acquisition conditions and to compare the obtained results with those of a bench Raman microscope. Finally, miR-214 at different concentrations was analyzed through an automatic procedure, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) in the picomolar range.