Research Projects

The intentional consumption of pesticides like paraquat is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in emergency settings. There is currently no specific antidote for paraquat poisoning, making diagnosis difficult and causing physicians to rely on patient symptoms and history. This leads to a dilemma in diagnosis and the selection of inappropriate treatment approaches, worsening the patient's condition and increasing the mortality rate and economic burden. Previous detection methods, such as HPLC and GC-MS, are reliable but complex and time-consuming. Rapid, simple, and inexpensive approaches have gained attention, and paper-based point-of-care devices like lateral flow assays, dipstick assays, and microfluidic devices have shown promise for point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings. This research aims to develop and clinically validate a cost-effective paper-based point-of-care device to detect pesticide poisoning in human serum, primarily paraquat, in critical care settings. The approach will use chemical reagents like sodium dithionate and ascorbic acid assays to detect paraquat in human serum. The paper-based microfluidic device will be designed and developed using the best-fit patterning technique. Once developed in the laboratory, the device will be validated in the clinical setting, and its sensitivity and specificity will be compared with existing standard methods. The successful development of this paper-based diagnostic device will aid in the rapid diagnosis of paraquat poisoning in hospitalized patients, enabling physicians to make informed decisions for effective poison management.