Dual template (epitope) imprinted electrode for sensing bacterial protein with high selectivity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Epitope imprinting offers a promising route for creating synthetic receptors for protein detection.
• Developing rapid and specific diagnostic tools for bacterial infections like meningitis is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a dual epitope imprinted polymer electrode (DEIP) on an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) for recognizing specific epitope sequences of Neisseria meningitidis.
• To evaluate the sensor's selectivity, specificity, and analytical performance in detecting the target epitope in patient blood samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a DEIP matrix on a gold-coated EQCM electrode using self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of epitope sequences.
• Polymerization using specific monomers and crosslinkers around the epitope SAMs.
• Testing the sensor's binding capabilities with laboratory and real patient blood samples, including analysis of selectivity against mismatched peptides and plasma proteins.

Main Results:

• The DEIP-EQCM sensor demonstrated selective and specific binding to target epitope sequences in both laboratory and patient samples.
• The sensor maintained specificity even in the presence of complex biological matrices and interfering plasma proteins.
• Excellent analytical performance was achieved, including a low detection limit (0.68-1.01 nM), quantification limit (2.05-3.05 nM), and good reproducibility (RSD ~5%).

Conclusions:

• A facile and effective DEIP-EQCM sensor was successfully developed for the diagnosis of meningitis-causing bacteria.
• This diagnostic tool has the potential to improve clinical accessibility and enable efficient population screening for meningitis.