Nanostructured Biosensors with Ultra-Low Detection Limit and High Selectivity for Real-Time and Continuous Sewage...

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Biosensor technology
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is crucial for community health monitoring.
• Conventional methods like RT-PCR are time-consuming and use batch sampling, limiting real-time accuracy.
• Existing WBE approaches may not fully capture daily viral load fluctuations in sewage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate printable electrochemical biosensors for continuous viral monitoring in sewage.
• To achieve an ultralow limit of detection (LOD) and high stability for SARS-CoV-2 and H3N2 detection.
• To create a portable sensing patch for reliable viral surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of printable electrochemical biosensors utilizing dendritic gold electrodes.
• Immobilization of antibodies on a large, robust electrode surface for enhanced detection.
• Testing sensor performance, including limit of detection, stability, response time, and selectivity against sewage interferents.
• Integration into a portable sensing patch and comparison with standard qRT-PCR methods.

Main Results:

• Achieved an ultralow LOD of 0.025 fg/mL for viral detection.
• Demonstrated desirable sensor stability and rapid response times.
• Exhibited high selectivity against common sewage contaminants.
• The integrated portable sensing patch showed comparative reliability to qRT-PCR.

Conclusions:

• Printable electrochemical biosensors offer a promising, rapid, and stable alternative for continuous WBE.
• This technology can improve the accuracy of viral surveillance and outbreak management.
• The developed sensors provide a cost-effective and efficient tool for public health monitoring.