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A Lamping U-Shaped Fiber Biosensor Detector for MicroRNA
Hsin-Yi Wen1, Chun-Wei Huang1, Yu-Le Li1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, 415 Chien Kung Road, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 19, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a U-shaped optical fiber biosensor for sensitive microRNA detection. The novel device shows high specificity and potential for early hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Optical Biosensing
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- MicroRNA (miRNA) detection is crucial for early disease diagnosis, particularly for cancers like hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- Existing miRNA detection methods often require complex procedures and lack sufficient sensitivity or specificity.
- Development of facile and sensitive biosensors is essential for advancing molecular diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a novel U-shaped optical fiber biosensor for the facile detection of microRNA-133a (miRNA-133a).
- To evaluate the biosensor's performance in detecting miRNA associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and limit of detection of the proposed biosensor.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a U-shaped optical fiber using a lamping process and packaging in a quartz tube.
- Surface modification of the optical fiber with silanization and electrostatic self-assembly to immobilize gold nanoparticles and miRNA-133a probes.
- Detection of miRNA-133a based on wavelength shift and transmission loss measurements of the optical fiber biosensor.
- Quantification of spectral sensitivity, transmission loss sensitivity, and limit of detection for miRNA-133a.
Main Results:
- The U-shaped optical fiber biosensor demonstrated high spectral sensitivity (-218.319 nm/ng/mL) and transmission loss sensitivity (162.394 dB/ng/mL) for miRNA-133a.
- A high coefficient of determination (0.839 for wavelength, 0.984 for transmission loss) indicated strong correlation.
- The limit of detection for miRNA-133a was determined to be 0.0133 ng/mL.
- The biosensor exhibited high specificity towards miRNA-133a.
Conclusions:
- The proposed U-shaped optical fiber biosensor offers a facile and sensitive platform for microRNA detection.
- The biosensor shows excellent specificity and sensitivity, making it valuable for detecting miRNA-133a relevant to hepatocellular carcinoma.
- This technology holds substantial potential for improving early cancer diagnostics through advanced molecular detection.
