Abstract:

Diabetes, a chronic and potentially severe disease, impacts roughly 38 million Americans. Various forms of diabetes occur, but incidences can be largely divided into two categories: Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively). T1D is characterized by an inability to produce insulin, while patients with T2D are resistant to the insulin they produce. Proper diagnosis and therapeutic management of each type of diabetes requires accurate and rapid monitoring of key biomarkers. Currently, only glucose levels guide diabetes management. Adding insulin to the diagnostic portfolio, however, can reduce misdiagnoses and provide earlier detection of prediabetes. Towards this goal, we present BLIPS (Bioluminescent Immunophage Sensor), an easy to produce, point-of-care immunoassay platform for the detection and quantification of insulin. BLIPS combines the highly specific detection capabilities of antibodies, ease of handling and production of phage display, and reliable, turn-on optical signal of nanoluciferase. This work paves the way for rapid and low-cost bedside monitoring of insulin, facilitating improved diagnosis and management of diabetes.