Clinically Deployable Bioelectronic Sensing Platform for Ultrasensitive Detection of Transferrin in Serum Sample

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Transferrin (Tf) levels are linked to various diseases, including malignancies, making Tf monitoring crucial for disease management and cancer prognosis.
• Existing methods for Tf detection may have limitations, necessitating the development of more sensitive and efficient diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a novel immunosensor for the indirect detection of transferrin (Tf) levels in cancer patients.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed immunosensor in terms of its linear detection range, limit of detection, and clinical applicability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate, followed by anti-Tf antibody immobilization.
• Characterization of sensor materials using UV-Vis, XRD, AFM, and FTIR spectroscopy.
• Electrochemical characterization and Tf detection using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV).

Main Results:

• The anti-Tf/rGO/ITO immunosensor exhibited a wide linear detection range for Tf from 0.1 mg mL-1 to 12 mg mL-1.
• A low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.010 ± 0.007 mg mL-1 was achieved for Tf.
• The immunosensor demonstrated excellent agreement with ELISA and autobioanalyzer techniques, with less than 5% error.

Conclusions:

• The developed graphene oxide-based immunosensor provides a highly sensitive and reliable platform for indirect Tf detection.
• The immunosensor shows significant clinical potential for monitoring Tf levels in cancer patients, aiding in disease prognosis and management.
• This approach offers a promising alternative to conventional diagnostic methods for transferrin quantification.