Dual-mode electro-driven biosensor: Low-voltage lysis and hybridization synergy for rapid and sensitive pathogen...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Microbiology

Background:

• Bacterial infections pose a global health challenge, necessitating rapid and accurate detection methods.
• Current pathogen detection methods can be time-consuming and complex, limiting their real-time application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a universal electrochemical biosensor for sensitive, specific, and rapid pathogen screening.
• To reduce assay time and simplify sample processing for bacterial detection.

Main Methods:

• Integration of interdigitated electrodes for pathogen lysis and nucleic acid release.
• Utilizing asymmetric recombinase polymerase amplification (aRPA) for single-stranded DNA production.
• Immobilization of Fc-labeled hairpin DNA on carboxylated screen-printed electrodes for signal generation.

Main Results:

• Achieved high sensitivity with detection limits of 10 CFU/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 5 CFU/mL for Acinetobacter baumannii.
• Demonstrated accuracy in spiked samples (tap water, milk, lake water) compared to traditional plate counting.
• Reduced assay time from 6-8 hours to 25 minutes while maintaining specificity.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical biosensor offers a rapid, sensitive, and specific platform for bacterial pathogen detection.
• This technology holds significant potential for foodborne pathogen surveillance, environmental monitoring, and point-of-care diagnostics.