To date, commercial cardiac biomarker POC devices have focused on the detection of FDA-approved myoglobin, CK-MB (creatine kinase MB isoenzyme), and cardiac troponins.10 12 The feasibility and specificity of measuring troponins drives a trend toward earlier POC technology implementation in ED decision-making and risk stratification. Markers of cardiac injury at the POC are expected to enable diagnosis of myocardial infarction

with high sensitivity and specificity, efficiently allowing for the prescription Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of appropriate and effective treatments in critical periods and thereby saving lives and significantly reducing healthcare costs. It has been proposed that multiple biomarkers indicative of different underlying pathophysiologic conditions are independently predictive of increased adverse events in patients with ACS. Here, markers Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of myocardial necrosis (troponins) in conjunction with markers Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of neurohormonal activation (brain natriuretic peptide [BNP] and N-terminal-proBNP) and markers of systemic inflammation have been suggested for diagnosis, risk stratification, and guidance of ACS therapy.13–15 Inflammation has been linked to all stages of vulnerable plaques, from initial deposition of lipids to plaque

destabilization and rupture, platelet activation, and thrombus formation.10 Likewise, with increased understanding of the pathobiology and the inflammatory nature of CVD, biomarkers of inflammation may serve in a panel to assess risk for both primary and secondary cardiac events Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and for CVD-related death. Early identification of risk would allow for the timely implementation of lifestyle changes and effective treatment regimens that could help slow down progression of or even reverse CVD.

Programmable Bio-nanochips for POC Testing Nanotechnology is poised to have an increasing effect on cardiovascular health in Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical coming years.16 Likewise, the ability to rapidly secure sensitive, reliable simultaneous measurements of multiple key cardiac biomarkers at the POC promises to revolutionize clinical diagnostics. Toward this goal, we have worked to improve the current state of POC IVD through the development, validation, and implementation else of P-BNCs (buy Afatinib Figure 1A).17–24 The “programmability” feature of the system refers to the capacity of the sensor ensemble to function as a standard platform that can be reprogrammed to serve a new application by inserting a molecular-level code (i.e., the biomarker-specific reagents). The “bio” terminology refers to the capacity to measure and extract the bio-signatures associated with the disease progression.