Electrochemical aptasensor for NS1 detection: Towards a fast dengue biosensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious Disease Diagnostics

Background:

• Dengue virus infection is a significant global health concern, often diagnosed late.
• Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a key early biomarker for Dengue virus infection.
• Current diagnostic methods can be time-consuming and require specialized facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive electrochemical biosensor for the rapid detection of Dengue virus NS1.
• To utilize DNA aptamers as recognition elements for NS1.
• To create a potential point-of-care diagnostic device for Dengue.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a gold electrode-based electrochemical biosensor.
• Co-immobilization of DNA aptamers and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) to form a self-assembled monolayer.
• Characterization using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.
• Testing with Dengue NS1 protein (serotypes 1 and 4) in buffer and human serum, with Envelope protein as a negative control.

Main Results:

• The aptamer-based biosensor demonstrated high sensitivity (2.9% per decade in buffer, 2.7% and 1.7% per decade in human serum).
• Achieved low limits of detection for NS1 (0.05 ng/mL, 0.022 ng/mL, and 0.025 ng/mL).
• Successfully detected NS1 in clinical ranges and showed specificity against Envelope protein.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical biosensor offers a sensitive and specific method for Dengue NS1 detection.
• This aptamer-based platform is a promising candidate for miniaturized, point-of-care diagnostic devices for Dengue.
• The sensor's ability to detect multiple Dengue serotypes could improve disease management.