Highly Sensitive and Quantitative Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassay with an Atomic Magnetometer

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is a simple point-of-care method for detecting various analytes. However, the lack of test result precision and poor quantification are the main bottlenecks of LFIA. Although magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have gained prominence as potent labels in LIFA, the quantitative detection method for trace biomarkers remains to be improved. Here, we propose a promising real-time biosensing platform based on a highly sensitive atomic magnetometer to fulfill the quantitative detection of MNP-based lateral flow immunochromatographic assays. The strategy entails obtaining the residual flux density component spectrum by continuously and linearly scanning the trace MNP label and then resolving the magnetization and quantity from the spectrum. Moreover, we exploit the theoretical model of the magnetic dipole to verify the method’s reliability. Regarding carcinoembryonic antigen detection, the atomic magnetometer exhibits a low detection limit of ∼0.01 ng mL–1 with a 100-fold enhancement factor compared to optical detection methods and a more straightforward mechanism than other magnetic detection approaches. Together, these results provide valuable insight for the potential application of atomic magnetometer quantum measurement techniques in intelligent diagnosis and treatment.