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AptaShield: A Universal Signal-Transduction System for Fast and High-Throughput Optical Molecular Biosensing
Miguel António Dias Neves1,2, Inês Mendes Pinto1,2
1Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
ACS Sensors
|April 15, 2024
Summary
A novel AptaShield biosensor enables universal, high-throughput detection of analytes in biological fluids. This solution-phase technology overcomes limitations of traditional assays, offering a versatile platform for point-of-care diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Biosensing
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Biosensing commercialization is limited by reconfiguration difficulties and low throughput.
- Immobilizing biomolecular probes requires tailored surface chemistry for optimal performance.
- Existing methods struggle with universal analyte detection and high-throughput capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a universal, high-throughput solution-phase biosensor overcoming current limitations.
- To create an engineered aptamer (AptaShield) for universal immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding.
- To enable facile biosensor reconfiguration for diverse analyte detection.
Main Methods:
- Development of the AptaShield engineered aptamer for universal binding to rabbit IgG Fab' fragments.
- Utilizing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal generation based on aptamer-IgG dynamic equilibrium.
- Dissociation of the AptaShield-IgG complex upon analyte binding, causing a FRET signal decrease.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated high selectivity, specificity, and reproducibility for analyte quantification.
- Successful application in various biological fluids (urine, blood serum) with low sample volumes.
- Achieved a universal signal transduction mechanism without aptamer modification for different rabbit antibodies.
Conclusions:
- AptaShield offers a robust, high-throughput solution-phase biosensing technology.
- The biosensor is suitable for point-of-care applications, outperforming traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
- Provides a universal platform for molecular profiling, overcoming limitations in biosensor development.
