Redox-Active Polyphenol Red Molecularly Imprinted Polymers on Porous Gold Electrodes for Ultrasensitive, AI-Assisted...

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is hindered by the high cost, complexity, and centralization of current diagnostic platforms such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and single-molecule array (SIMOA). Here, an integrated point-of-care (PoC) biosensing platform is reported based on redox-active polyphenol red molecularly imprinted polymers (pPhR MIPs) deposited on highly porous gold (HPG) electrodes for the ultrasensitive, reagent-free detection of phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau 181) in undiluted plasma and serum. The unique electrochemical interface combines the signal-enhancing properties of HPG with the redox functionality of pPhR, eliminating the need for external redox probes. The resulting sensor achieves a limit of detection (LOD) of 980 fg mL^-1 and sensitivity of 4.39 µA/(pg mL^-1), rivalling high-end lab-based assays while operating at a fraction of the cost. The platform integrates a low-cost, handheld potentiostat and a machine learning (ML)-enabled web app for real-time data classification and regression, achieving 100% classification accuracy with zero false positives or negatives. The system demonstrates compatibility with both ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and heparin-treated samples and maintains accuracy in complex matrices. This work represents a step toward World Health Organization (WHO)-compliant, decentralized diagnostics for neurodegenerative disease, offering a scalable foundation for future multianalyte platforms targeting AD and related disorders.