Surface-engineered quantum dots/electrospun nanofibers as a networked fluorescence aptasensing platform toward...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Membrane-based fluorescent sensing offers point-of-care diagnostics but faces challenges in sensitivity, selectivity, and probe utilization.
• Existing cancer biomarker detection methods often lack the required precision and efficiency for early diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, highly sensitive, and selective fluorescence sensing platform for cancer biomarker detection.
• To overcome limitations of current sensing films by utilizing bio-grafting of quantum dots onto electrospun nanofibers.
• To demonstrate the platform's efficacy for prostate specific antigen (PSA) detection in clinical samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a fluorescence sensing platform by bio-grafting quantum dots (QDs) onto electrospun nanofibers (NFs).
• Integration of aptamers onto QDs/NFs for specific biomarker recognition.
• Utilizing partially complementary DNA-attached gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for fluorescence quenching via nanometal surface energy transfer (NSET).
• Development of a prostate specific antigen (PSA) assay based on the aptasensing platform.

Main Results:

• The aptasensor demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity for PSA detection.
• Achieved a low detection limit of 0.46 pg mL⁻¹ for PSA.
• Successfully applied the sensing platform to detect PSA in real clinical serum samples.
• The networked nanostructure of aptamer-QDs/NFs enhanced probe utilization and assay performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed aptasensing platform offers a facile, sensitive, and selective method for biomarker detection.
• The bio-grafting technique combined with electrospun nanofibers provides an advanced nanostructure for enhanced sensing.
• The platform shows potential for broad application in detecting various biomarkers in clinical settings.