Platinum Nanozyme-Triggered Pressure-Based Immunoassay Using a Three-Dimensional Polypyrrole Foam-Based Flexible...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a significant cancer biomarker.
• Current diagnostic methods for CEA can be time-consuming and require laboratory settings.
• There is a need for rapid, sensitive, and portable point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, portable, and sensitive pressure-based point-of-care (POC) testing strategy for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection.
• To utilize a flexible pressure sensor based on 3D polypyrrole (PPy) foam for monitoring biomolecular interactions.
• To establish a quantitative method for CEA determination based on pressure variations.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) to detection antibodies for immunocomplex formation.
• Utilizing PtNPs to catalyze hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dissociation, generating oxygen (O2) gas and increasing pressure.
• Employing a flexible pressure sensor made of 3D polypyrrole (PPy) foam to detect pressure changes.
• Developing a sandwich-type immunoassay format for CEA detection.

Main Results:

• The developed pressure-based immunosensor demonstrated sensitive detection of CEA.
• A dynamic working range of 0.2 to 60 ng/mL for CEA was achieved.
• A low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.13 ng/mL for CEA was obtained.
• The sensor exhibited acceptable reproducibility, specificity, and accuracy compared to ELISA.

Conclusions:

• The novel pressure-based POC testing strategy offers a promising approach for sensitive and rapid CEA detection.
• The use of 3D polypyrrole foam-based flexible pressure sensors enables effective signal transduction.
• This technology holds potential for future development of portable and accessible diagnostic devices.