Sensitive and Label-free Detection of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein on Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Chi-Yen Shen, Chun-Lin Wu, Yu-Min Lin, Rey-Chue Hwang

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disease, is due to articular cartilage degradation, leading to joint destruction. The most common methods for diagnosing OA are done using radiographs and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method which are specific but require specialized laboratory facilities and highly trained personal. To avoid invasive methods for diagnosis, the current study describes a novel non-invasive detection method for osteoarthritis urine biomarkers. A highly selective and specific monoclonal antibodies, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), were used to immobilize on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor. The developed QCM sensor for COMP detection showed good sensitivity, linearity, specificity and reliability.