DNA Locked-in Double-Faced-Nanotube for Ultrafast Biosensing of Hepatitis Virus

Viral hepatitis is a highly infectious disease caused by various hepatitis viruses that, thus far, have no cure. In early viral invasion, a low viral load in the blood makes early detection difficult unless the symptoms are severe. Herein, a new ultrasensitive and ultrafast hepatitis virus detection strategy is proposed by constructing a dual-surface-activated nanotube that enables recognition probes to not only bind to the outer surface of the nanotube but also penetrate and lock onto its inner surface. This approach significantly enhances both the specific surface area and number of active sites, thereby improving the capture efficiency for traces of hepatitis viral DNA, such as the B type (HBV-DNA). Compared with current DNA detection methods, this approach eliminates the additional amplification steps to achieve an ultralow detection limit of 10^-18 m, advancing the available detection time as early as possible. Using human serum as a sample, this technique enables the precise and quantitative reporting of HBV-DNA within only 15 min and overcomes the interference of usual proteins and other viral DNA. This technique provides new inspiration for quick and early hepatitis diagnosis for in-hospital and non-hospital patients without bulky instruments and complex operations.