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Sensors
Volume 25
Issue 23
10.3390/s25237115
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Semi-Quantitative On-Site Microfluidic Assay to Detect 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in Urine

by
YeJi Jung
1,†,
Isaac Choi
2,3,†,
Hyunjun Bae
3,
Joonseok Seo
3,
Sunchun Kim
4,
Sangki Lee
1,
Jeongmin Lee
3,
Yohan Jeong
3,
Juhyung Kim
3,
Heesun Chung
1,
Hyunho Kim
5,* and
Seok Chung
2,3,5,6,*
1
Department of Forensic Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
2
KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
3
Absology Ltd., Anyang 14057, Republic of Korea
4
National Forensic Service, Wonju 26460, Republic of Korea
5
School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
6
Center for Brain Technology, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Sensors 2025, 25(23), 7115; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237115
Submission received: 28 October 2025 / Revised: 17 November 2025 / Accepted: 19 November 2025 / Published: 21 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Point-of-Care Biosensors: Design and Applications)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The rapid detection of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), a primary cannabis metabolite, is critical for forensic and workplace drug testing. However, conventional immunoassays often lack sensitivity and objectivity. We developed a portable lateral flow immunoassay device with a microfluidic cartridge and fluorescent reader for the semi-quantitative detection of THC-COOH in urine. A test-to-reference fluorescence ratio was employed to mitigate matrix effects and ensure objective results. The device was validated for accuracy, repeatability, and stability using spiked urine samples and compared against validated LC-MS/MS results on 100 authentic urine samples (50 positive and 50 negative). At a cutoff of 20 ng/mL, the device achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity, with repeatability and reproducibility CVs of below 15%. The cutoff index (COI) strongly correlated with LC-MS/MS results (R2 = 0.9471). Crucially, this high correlation with hydrolyzed LC-MS/MS data demonstrates that the antibody recognizes both free and glucuronide-conjugated metabolites, validating its reliability without enzymatic pre-treatment. This microfluidic device enables rapid, sensitive on-site THC-COOH detection, featuring automated data management via Wi-Fi connectivity, enhancing its forensic applicability.
Keywords: THC-COOH; biosensor; point-of-care testing (POCT); semi-quantitative analysis; fluorescence-based LFA; microfluidic cartridge; lab-on-a-chip (LOC); matrix effect; forensic toxicology; portable analytical device THC-COOH; biosensor; point-of-care testing (POCT); semi-quantitative analysis; fluorescence-based LFA; microfluidic cartridge; lab-on-a-chip (LOC); matrix effect; forensic toxicology; portable analytical device

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jung, Y.; Choi, I.; Bae, H.; Seo, J.; Kim, S.; Lee, S.; Lee, J.; Jeong, Y.; Kim, J.; Chung, H.; et al. Semi-Quantitative On-Site Microfluidic Assay to Detect 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in Urine. Sensors 2025, 25, 7115. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237115

AMA Style

Jung Y, Choi I, Bae H, Seo J, Kim S, Lee S, Lee J, Jeong Y, Kim J, Chung H, et al. Semi-Quantitative On-Site Microfluidic Assay to Detect 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in Urine. Sensors. 2025; 25(23):7115. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237115

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jung, YeJi, Isaac Choi, Hyunjun Bae, Joonseok Seo, Sunchun Kim, Sangki Lee, Jeongmin Lee, Yohan Jeong, Juhyung Kim, Heesun Chung, and et al. 2025. "Semi-Quantitative On-Site Microfluidic Assay to Detect 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in Urine" Sensors 25, no. 23: 7115. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237115

APA Style

Jung, Y., Choi, I., Bae, H., Seo, J., Kim, S., Lee, S., Lee, J., Jeong, Y., Kim, J., Chung, H., Kim, H., & Chung, S. (2025). Semi-Quantitative On-Site Microfluidic Assay to Detect 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in Urine. Sensors, 25(23), 7115. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237115

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