CINCINNATI, OHIO — Engineers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have developed a groundbreaking diagnostic tool that could revolutionize how doctors detect mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
The innovative device, created by Distinguished Research Professor Chong Ahn and his team at UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, is a “lab-on-a-chip” that measures cortisol levels—commonly known as the stress hormone—directly from a patient’s saliva. Elevated cortisol levels are closely associated with chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.
“Mental health care can be an urgent situation. These tests will help doctors make timely interventions,” Ahn said.
The device, designed for point-of-care testing, includes a disposable mouthpiece to collect saliva, which is then inserted into a portable reader. This reader quickly transmits results to a smartphone or portable analyzer within minutes, providing clinicians with near-instant feedback.
The research findings were recently published in the journal Biomedical Microdevices.
Mental health disorders affect over 400 million people globally and are among the top causes of disability. Traditional mental health screenings often rely on patient-reported symptoms, which can be subjective. This new testing platform offers a more objective alternative.
Study co-author Supreeth Setty, a UC doctoral student, said the test provides measurable biochemical evidence to support diagnoses, potentially improving the accuracy of mental health assessments.
“Point-of-care testing is a practical way to make results available quickly for everyone,” Setty noted.
Setty is also investigating the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for his dissertation. DHEA acts to balance cortisol in the body, and an elevated cortisol-to-DHEA ratio has been linked to chronic stress and mental health disorders.
“The next step would be to collaborate with psychiatrists and conduct clinical trials to see if our platform works as expected,” Setty added.
The study was led by UC doctoral graduate Vinitha Thiyagarajan Upaassana, with Setty and doctoral student Heeyong Jang as co-authors. The project received partial funding from the university’s Technology Accelerator Project.
Beyond mental health, UC researchers have adapted their lab-on-a-chip technology to detect other health markers, including troponin—a protein released during heart attacks.
In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, Ahn, Jang, and Setty detailed a new point-of-care device capable of detecting troponin from just a drop of blood. Rapid detection of elevated troponin levels can help diagnose heart attacks quickly, a critical factor in emergency cardiac care.
“Once you survive a heart attack, there is an increased probability of having another,” said Jang. “We can monitor troponin in the blood on a daily basis and hopefully get valuable information.”
The UC research team has also applied their microdevice platform to infectious disease testing. In a separate study published in the journal Sensors and Diagnostics, they introduced a point-of-care test for detecting COVID-19.
These portable and rapid diagnostic tools reflect a broader trend in medicine toward real-time, accessible healthcare technologies—offering hope for faster interventions and better patient outcomes across a range of conditions.
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