High-performance affinity peptide sensor for prostate specific antigen detection.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a key serum biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) risk assessment.
• Early detection of PCa is crucial due to limited effective treatment options.
• Current PSA detection methods require improvement in sensitivity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel electronic biosensor for highly sensitive PSA detection.
• To utilize PSA-affinity peptides and single-walled carbon nanotubes for enhanced sensor performance.
• To establish a cost-effective and stable platform for PCa screening.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an electronic biosensor using single-walled carbon nanotubes on a gold fork electrode.
• Chemical linking of PSA-affinity peptides to carbon nanotubes as the receptor material.
• Detection of PSA via specific peptide-ligand binding in standard solutions.

Main Results:

• The developed biosensor demonstrated exceptional sensitivity with a detection limit as low as 10^-13 μg μL^-1.
• The sensor utilizes cost-effective materials, operates at room temperature, and exhibits good stability.
• Achieved high efficiency and specificity in PSA detection.

Conclusions:

• The novel electronic biosensor offers a highly sensitive and specific method for PSA detection.
• This technology presents a low-cost, efficient, and stable platform for early PCa screening.
• The biosensor has significant potential for widespread application in medical diagnostics, particularly for prostate cancer.