Liquid Redox Probe-Free Plastic Antibody Development for Malaria Biomarker Recognition

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Malaria remains a significant global health issue, necessitating improved diagnostic tools.
• Traditional malaria diagnostics face limitations including ethical and economic concerns.
• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) present a viable alternative for selective molecular recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a liquid, redox-probe-free, MIP-based electrochemical biosensor for detecting Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2).
• To enable point-of-care (PoC) malaria diagnosis with high sensitivity and selectivity.
• To offer a simple, cost-effective, and reliable diagnostic method.

Main Methods:

• Electropolymerization of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of HRP2 to create MIPs on a modified carbon screen-printed electrode (C-SPE).
• Removal of HRP2 using proteinase K and oxalic acid to form specific binding sites.
• Characterization using cyclic voltammetry (CV), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
• Performance evaluation via square-wave voltammetry (SWV) in buffer and serum.

Main Results:

• The developed MIP-based electrochemical biosensor demonstrated a low detection limit of 0.43 ± 0.026 pg mL⁻¹ for HRP2.
• The sensor exhibited high selectivity with minimal interference from other substances.
• The biosensor operates without the need for a redox probe, simplifying the detection process.

Conclusions:

• The MIP-based electrochemical biosensor is a promising tool for simple, cost-effective, and reliable point-of-care detection of the malaria marker HRP2.
• This innovative approach simplifies malaria diagnosis, addressing key limitations of traditional methods.
• The sensor's electroactive polymer and high selectivity contribute to its diagnostic potential.