Highly Sensitive Si-Based Electrolyte-Gated Transistor Array for Multiplexed Detection of Arboviruses.

Area of Science:

• Biosensing
• Nanotechnology
• Virology

Background:

• Arboviruses pose significant global health threats.
• Multiplexed detection is crucial for diagnosing co-infections and differentiating between similar viruses.
• Existing diagnostic methods can be time-consuming and require specialized laboratory equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of a silicon-based electrolyte-gated transistor (EGT) array for multiplexed arbovirus detection.
• To functionalize EGT arrays with aptamers specific to key arbovirus proteins.
• To evaluate the performance of the EGT array for both individual and simultaneous detection of yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya viruses.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 4x4 Si-based EGT array using conventional microfabrication.
• Functionalization of EGTs with aptamers targeting yellow fever virus (YF) NS1, dengue virus (DN) NS1, and chikungunya virus (CHK) E2 proteins.
• Electrical characterization of EGTs for intrinsic properties and device uniformity.
• Assessment of individual and multiplexed detection performance through threshold voltage shifts and limit of detection (LOD) calculations.

Main Results:

• EGTs exhibited excellent electrical characteristics with low variation.
• Individual detection achieved low LODs: YF (38.6 pg/mL), DN (95.2 pg/mL), CHK (1.6 ng/mL).
• Multiplexed detection demonstrated improved LODs compared to other methods: YF (0.2 ng/mL), DN (0.6 ng/mL), CHK (2.8 ng/mL).

Conclusions:

• Si-based EGT arrays offer a promising platform for sensitive, multiplexed arbovirus detection.
• The developed biosensor is scalable, low-cost, and suitable for point-of-care diagnostics.
• This technology can aid in rapid and accurate diagnosis of arboviral infections.