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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Development and Functionalization of Electrolyte-Gated Graphene Field-Effect Transistor for Biomarker Detection
Published on: February 1, 2022
Label-free graphene biosensor targeting cancer molecules based on non-covalent modification
Lin Zhou1, Hongju Mao2, Chunyan Wu3
1State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Key Laboratory of Terahertz Solid-State Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China.
A novel graphene biosensor detects carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) using antibody modification. This label-free immunosensor offers high sensitivity and specificity for potential clinical diagnostics and point-of-care applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Label-free biosensors are crucial for sensitive and real-time detection of biomarkers.
- Graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) offer excellent electrical properties for biosensing applications.
- Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a significant biomarker for various cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a label-free immunosensor based on antibody-modified GFET for CEA detection.
- To investigate the non-covalent immobilization strategy for antibodies on graphene.
- To evaluate the sensor's performance in terms of specificity, sensitivity, and affinity.
Main Methods:
- Antibody-modified graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) fabrication using non-covalent immobilization.
- Utilized 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester for antibody attachment to graphene.
- Characterization using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.
- Real-time monitoring of CEA protein interactions with immobilized antibodies.
Main Results:
- Successful immobilization of anti-CEA antibodies onto the graphene surface confirmed by characterization techniques.
- Demonstrated selective electrical detection of CEA protein in real-time.
- Achieved a limit of detection (LOD) for CEA below 100 pg/ml.
- Determined a high affinity dissociation constant (Kd) of 6.35×10-11M between CEA and anti-CEA.
Conclusions:
- The developed anti-CEA modified GFET immunosensor provides a highly sensitive and specific platform for CEA detection.
- The non-covalent immobilization strategy is effective for creating robust antibody-GFET interfaces.
- This graphene biosensor shows significant potential for clinical applications and point-of-care diagnostics.
