SPR biosensor for quantification of fetuin-A as a promising multibiomarker

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science
• Nanotechnology and Biosensing

Background:

• Early diagnosis of malignant diseases is critical for patient survival and quality of life, yet current methods often detect cancer in late stages.
• Existing diagnostic tools face challenges with sensitivity and specificity, necessitating advanced biomarker detection technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a novel biosensor platform for the sensitive detection of fetuin-A, a potential multibiomarker for early cancer diagnosis.
• To leverage advanced polymer brush technology for creating a highly effective, non-fouling biosurface for use in clinical diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a biosensing platform using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) and carboxybetaine methacrylamide (CBMAA) copolymer.
• Characterization of the poly(HPMA-co-CBMAA) copolymer for its antifouling and antithrombogenic properties in biological media like blood plasma.
• Functionalization of the polymer brush with biorecognition elements and integration into a plasmonic biosensor for fetuin-A detection in clinical samples.

Main Results:

• The poly(HPMA-co-CBMAA) copolymer demonstrated excellent non-fouling and antithrombogenic properties, preventing adhesion of blood components.
• The functionalized polymer brush maintained high resistance to biofouling while preserving binding capacity, tunable by adjusting the monomer ratio.
• The developed plasmonic biosensor successfully detected fetuin-A in real clinical blood plasma samples, showcasing its diagnostic potential.

Conclusions:

• The novel polymer brush-based biosensor offers a sensitive and reliable method for detecting biomarkers like fetuin-A in complex biological samples.
• This labelfree affinity biosensor technology holds promise for advancing early cancer diagnostics and enabling point-of-care analysis.
• The antifouling properties are key to the biosensor's performance in real clinical settings, paving the way for improved diagnostic strategies.