An AC electrokinetics-based electrochemical aptasensor for the rapid detection of microRNA-155

Area of Science:

• Biosensor technology
• Electrochemical analysis
• Biomarker detection

Background:

• Traditional immunosensors suffer from low sensitivity and slow detection due to passive diffusion.
• Alternating current (AC) electrokinetics can enhance analyte transport and binding efficiency.
• MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is a relevant biomarker for early infection detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid electrochemical aptasensor for sensitive miR-155 detection.
• To leverage AC electroosmotic (ACEO) flow for enhanced target hybridization.
• To improve upon the speed and sensitivity of existing detection methods.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an electrochemical aptasensor.
• Integration of AC electroosmotic (ACEO) flow for analyte preconcentration.
• Optimization of electrokinetic parameters for target collection.
• Detection of miR-155 using the developed aptasensor.

Main Results:

• Achieved a detection limit of 1 aM for miR-155, 100 times lower than conventional methods.
• Detection time reduced to 75 seconds, approximately 50 times faster than traditional methods.
• Demonstrated effective detection in spiked serum samples, confirming real-world applicability.

Conclusions:

• The ACEO-enhanced electrochemical aptasensor offers highly sensitive and rapid detection of miR-155.
• This technology holds promise for real-time sensing of biomarkers for early infection diagnosis.
• The developed method significantly outperforms conventional diffusion-dependent biosensing techniques.