Gelatin-PVA Hydrogel Composite-Based Immunosensing Interface for Early Detection of HPV16-Driven Cervical Cancer

Viral oncoprotein HPV16 E6 is a critical mediator of cervical malignancy and a promising biomarker for early-stage detection of cervical cancer. Current diagnostic approaches centered around morphology-based screening and DNA-based assays emphasize the need for noninvasive, affordable, and highly sensitive urine-based detection methods targeting HPV16 E6 oncoprotein for early diagnosis. This study introduces a noninvasive diagnostic strategy using a gelatin-PVA (G-PVA) hydrogel composite-based electrochemical biosensor for HPV16 E6 oncoprotein detection in spiked urine samples. The proposed platform integrates chemically crosslinked G-PVA hydrogel as a transducing matrix for biosensing offering superior biocompatibility, electrochemical stability, and enhanced surface area for antibody immobilization. The biosensor platform demonstrates robust electrochemical performance with a broad dynamic range (1 pg mL-1 to 1 μg mL-1), ultra-low detection limit (0.56 pg mL-1), and quantification limit (1.88 pg mL-1). Furthermore, it exhibits a sensitivity of 37 μA cm-2 log-1 (pg mL-1) along with good reproducibility and specificity toward E6 oncoprotein even in complex media such as artificial urine. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of the G-PVA hydrogel composite-based biosensor as an affordable, noninvasive, point-of-care (POC) detection platform representing significant advancement toward early detection of HPV16-associated cervical cancer.