Genomagnetic LAMP-based electrochemical test for determination of high-risk HPV16 and HPV18 in clinical samples

Major cause of cervical cancer is a persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomaviruses (HPV). For that reason, HPV testing is now becoming an important addition to standard cytological screening of cervical malignancies in women (known as Pap test). New methods are sought which could offer rapid and inexpensive detection schemes, such as those based on electrochemical (EC) readout. Here, we developed an assay for parallel detection of two most oncogenic high-risk HPV types, HPV16 and HPV18, by combining loop-mediated amplification (LAMP) of template DNA, its separation using magnetic beads and detection with amperometry at carbon-based electrode chips. Our EC-LAMP test enabled us to successfully discriminate both HPV types not only in cancer cell lines, but also using clinical material obtained from HPV-positive patient samples.