Aptamer-based biosensor for detection of phenylalanine at physiological pH

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biosensor Technology

Background:

• Phenylalanine detection is vital for diagnosing and managing conditions like phenylketonuria.
• Existing methods for phenylalanine detection can be complex or require specialized equipment.
• Development of sensitive and simple biosensors is crucial for point-of-care diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and sensitive aptamer-based biosensor for phenylalanine detection.
• To utilize electrochemical transduction for signal generation.
• To evaluate the performance of the aptasensor in a physiological buffer.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a gold electrode modified with a thiol-terminated aptamer.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry.
• Testing the aptasensor's response to varying concentrations of phenylalanine in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.4).

Main Results:

• The aptasensor demonstrated high sensitivity towards phenylalanine.
• A low detection limit of 1 nM (S/N = 3) was achieved.
• A linear detection range from 1 to 10 nM with a high correlation factor (0.9914) was observed.

Conclusions:

• A simple, sensitive, and effective electrochemical aptasensor for phenylalanine detection has been successfully developed.
• The aptasensor shows promise for practical applications in biochemical and biomedical studies, particularly for protein assays.
• This approach could advance the use of aptamer-based biosensors in clinical diagnostics and research.