Electrical detection of viral DNA using ultramicroelectrode arrays

A fully electrical array for voltammetric detection of redox molecules produced by enzyme-labeled affinity binding complexes is shown. The electronic detection is based on ultramicroelectrode arrays manufactured in silicon technology. The 200-microm circular array positions have 800-nm-wide interdigitated gold ultramicroelectrodes embedded in silicon dioxide. Immobilization of oligonucleotide capture probes onto the gold electrodes surfaces is accomplished via thiol-gold self-assembling. Spatial separation of probes at different array positions is controlled by polymeric rings around each array position. The affinity bound complexes are labeled with alkaline phosphatase, which converts the electrochemically inactive substrate 4-aminophenyl phosphate into the active 4-hydroxyaniline (HA). The nanoscaled electrodes are used to perform a sensitive detection of enzyme activity by signal enhancing redox recycling of HA resulting in local and position-specific current signals. Multiplexing and serial readout is realized using a CMOS ASIC module and a computer-controlled multichannel potentiostat. The principle of the silicon-based electrical biochip array is shown for different experimental setups and for the detection of virus DNA in real unpurified multiplex PCR samples. The fast and quantitative electronic multicomponent analysis for all kinds of affinity assays is robust and particle tolerant.