Enabling in-house fabrication of lateral flow assays with a low-cost DIY antibody dispenser

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are versatile detection devices widely used in various fields including healthcare, agriculture, and waste surveillance. Due to specific equipment needs, the fabrication of LFAs poses a large entry barrier for small laboratories wish to contribute to innovations in the field. To assist with the low-cost fabrication of LFAs, this study proposes a do-it-yourself (DIY) antibody dispenser built from commercial off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts with a total cost of approximately 590 USD. The DIY antibody dispenser was designed based on the active flow of reagents using a pump. Detailed fabrication instructions, access to the design files, operating instructions, and troubleshooting parameters are provided to enable the construction of the dispenser. The DIY dispenser was evaluated by calibrating the line widths generated from flow rate and speed parameters, where a theoretical model was developed to explain the correlations observed. The LFAs constructed using the DIY dispenser were validated by comparing their analytical performance against LFAs made with a commercial counterpart. It was demonstrated that the new DIY dispenser is a viable avenue for the low-cost construction of reproducible LFAs.