The LABPATCH project seeks to develop new diagnostic solutions for Phenilketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disease affecting every 1 in 12,000 newborns. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of an amino acid, phenylalanine (Phe), which if left untreated can lead to the onset of neurodegenerative symptoms, such as cognitive and attention disabilities and mental disorders. Timely detection of markers of the disease is therefore crucial in order to prevent the onset of debilitating symptoms, but currently established methods rely on the use of complex machinery and highly skilled healthcare personnel to operate the equipment and interpret the results. The LABPATCH project enabled the development of a biosensor that could be used discriminate between healthy and PKU patients in a fast, cheap and uncomplicated manner. The biosensor was tested on real patients from the Hospital San Joan de Deu (HSJD) in Barcelona, and was fabricated such that up to 48 patients could be tested at the same time, and using intuitive equipment readily available at most point-of-care facilities (clinics and hospitals). The low cost of the biosensor also means that it is of particular interest to developing countries, which may not have the resources to invest in the expensive apparatus necessary to carry out the pre-existing PKU diagnostics methodologies.
