Real-time prostate-specific antigen detection with prostate-specific antigen imprinted capacitive biosensors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a critical biomarker for prostate cancer detection and recurrence monitoring.
• Ultrasensitive and selective detection methods are essential for early diagnosis and effective disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microcontact-PSA imprinted (PSA-MIP) capacitive biosensor chip for real-time, highly sensitive, and selective PSA detection.
• To compare the performance of the PSA-MIP biosensor with an electrode functionalized with immobilized Anti-PSA antibodies.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PSA-MIP electrodes using methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) via UV polymerization.
• Characterization of electrodes using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cyclic voltammetry (CV).
• Real-time PSA detection in standard solutions and diluted human serum, with selectivity studies against HSA and IgG.

Main Results:

• The PSA-MIP biosensor achieved a detection limit of 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ ng mL⁻¹.
• The Anti-PSA antibody electrode showed a detection limit of 6.0 × 10⁻⁴ ng mL⁻¹.
• The developed system demonstrated high sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility for PSA detection, even in complex biological samples.

Conclusions:

• The microcontact-imprinting technique combined with a capacitive system provides a promising platform for ultrasensitive and selective real-time analyte detection.
• This technology holds potential for successful application in early prostate cancer screening and post-treatment monitoring.
• The developed biosensor offers a viable alternative for detecting various analytes at very low concentrations.