Film, function, flexibility: label-free nanobody sensors via electropolymerized nanointerfaces

Area of Science:

• Bioelectronic interfaces
• Materials science
• Biosensor technology

Background:

• Nanobody-based biosensors offer high molecular recognition but face challenges with unstable surface chemistries.
• Existing methods lack scalability and robustness for practical bioelectronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable and scalable materials platform for nanobody biosensors.
• To enable label-free, direct molecular detection using electrochemical techniques.

Main Methods:

• Integration of stable electropolymerized tyramine nanofilms with non-faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• Site-specific covalent immobilization of nanobodies onto amine-functionalized coatings.
• Utilizing capacitance signal changes for label-free detection.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated stable, amine-functionalized nanofilms supporting oriented nanobody immobilization.
• Achieved a >50% increase in capacitance signal upon target binding, indicating molecular recognition.
• Showcased adaptability to diverse bioreceptors and antifouling layers.

Conclusions:

• Established a new class of robust and scalable bioelectronic interfaces by decoupling film conductivity from functional stability.
• This platform bridges molecular design with label-free signal transduction for next-generation biosensing.
• Presents a general route for developing chemically robust and scalable bioelectronic interfaces.