Albuminuria detection using graphene oxide-mediated fluorescence quenching aptasensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Albuminuria is a key biomarker for chronic kidney disease (CKD).
• Accurate and accessible detection of albuminuria is crucial for early diagnosis and management of CKD.
• Current methods for albuminuria detection can be costly and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, sensitive, and cost-effective aptasensor for quantifying albuminuria in urine samples.
• To utilize the fluorescence quenching properties of graphene oxide and the specific binding of aptamers for albumin detection.
• To establish a detection platform with a limit of detection and range suitable for clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• A graphene oxide-mediated fluorescence quenching aptasensor was designed.
• The aptasensor leverages the specific binding of human serum albumin (HSA) aptamers.
• Fluorescence quenching by graphene oxide was employed to quantify HSA concentration in urine.

Main Results:

• The developed aptasensor demonstrated a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.05 µg/mL.
• The detection range spanned from 0.1 to 600 µg/mL, covering physiological and pathological levels of albuminuria.
• The production cost per reaction was lower than standard automated methods.

Conclusions:

• The graphene oxide-aptasensor provides a sensitive and efficient method for albuminuria quantification.
• This technology has potential for high-throughput screening and portable point-of-care testing for CKD.
• The aptasensor shows significant promise for commercialization and widespread clinical use.