Robotic biosensor test helps diagnose fertility in real-time

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A new type of biosensor combined with a robotic testing system has been used to diagnose fertility issues in a clinical setting away from the lab.   

Known as RAPTER (Robotic APTamer-enabled Electrochemical Reader), the platform was developed by researchers at Imperial College London and The University of Hong Kong. It uses a novel biosensor to measure the rise and fall – or pulsatility - of luteinizing hormone (LH), something that can indicate different states of reproductive health in women.

It is not currently feasible to measure LH pulse patterns in a clinical setting as doctors need to take a blood sample from patients every 10 minutes for at least eight hours. RAPTER combines the new biosensor with a 96-well robotic testing system that is connected to a laptop, allowing this painstaking cycle of fertility testing to be automated. The system is described in Nature Communications.

"Reproductive health issues are common amongst women in the UK and around the world,” said Professor Waljit Dhillo, NIHR Research Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Imperial College London, and one of the lead authors of the study.

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