Magneto-controlled bioelectronics for the antigen-antibody interaction based on magnetic-core/gold-shell...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Carcinoid antigen (CEA) is a crucial biomarker for various cancers.
• Developing sensitive and specific protein assay systems is vital for early cancer diagnosis and monitoring.
• Conventional immunoassays often involve complex, time-consuming steps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, rapid, and sensitive protein assay system for detecting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).
• To immobilize anti-CEA antibodies onto a functionalized electrode for antigen-antibody interaction analysis.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed immunoassay for clinical relevance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of multiporous polythionine modified magnetic carbon paste electrodes (MCPE) functionalized with magnetic-core/gold-shell nanoparticles.
• Immobilization of anti-CEA antibodies onto the functionalized electrode surface.
• Detection of CEA using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in a pH 6.8 acetate buffer.

Main Results:

• The developed immunoassay system demonstrated a linear relationship between peak current and CEA concentration from 1.5 to 60 ng/ml.
• A low detection limit of 0.3 ng/ml was achieved at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.
• The assay showed acceptable selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, outperforming conventional methods in simplicity and speed.

Conclusions:

• The proposed immunoassay system based on functionalized nanoparticles and MCPE is a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for CEA detection.
• This advanced protein assay holds significant potential for the diagnosis and monitoring of carcinoma and its metastasis.
• The methodology offers advantages over traditional immunoassays by eliminating multiple labeling and separation steps.