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A Sensitive Multichannel Fluorescent Polymer Sensor Array for the Detection of Protein Fluctuations in Serum
Junwhee Yang1, Colby Alves1, Kanwal Nazir1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 4, 2026
Summary
A novel polymer sensor array effectively detects abnormal serum protein levels, offering a faster and more accurate diagnostic tool for various diseases like cancer and infections. This innovation promises improved early disease detection and management.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Serum protein levels fluctuate with various pathological conditions, including cancer, liver disease, neurological disorders, and infections.
- Conventional diagnostic methods like serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are time-consuming and may miss subtle abnormalities.
- There is a need for rapid, sensitive, and accurate methods for detecting changes in serum protein profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel multichannel fluorescence sensor array for detecting fluctuations in serum protein levels.
- To identify specific pyrene-conjugated fluorescent polymers (PFPs) suitable for sensitive protein detection.
- To evaluate the diagnostic potential of the developed sensor array using machine learning classification.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of five pyrene-conjugated fluorescent polymers (PFPs) with varied side-chain head groups.
- Construction of a multichannel fluorescence sensor array using the synthesized PFPs.
- Screening of PFPs for sensitivity to serum protein level changes.
- Application of linear discriminant analysis (LDA), a machine learning method, for data analysis and classification.
- Validation of the sensor array's performance using jackknife and unknown identification accuracy metrics.
Main Results:
- Two specific PFPs were identified as highly sensitive to serum protein level variations.
- The developed sensor array generated a high-content response pattern (fingerprint) across six fluorescence channels.
- The polymer sensor array achieved 98% jackknife classification accuracy and 95% unknown identification accuracy in discriminating protein level fluctuations.
- The sensor array demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting abnormal serum protein profiles.
Conclusions:
- The novel polymer sensor array is a sensitive and accurate tool for detecting fluctuations in serum protein levels.
- This technology shows strong potential as a rapid diagnostic tool for serum-based samples, aiding in the early detection of diseases.
- The platform can be extended to other applications requiring protein identification and quantification.
