A Drug Molecule-Modified Graphene Field-Effect Transistor Nanosensor for Rapid, Label-Free, and Ultrasensitive Detection of Estrogen Receptor α Protein.
Pinghong MingJiahao LiLu YangYi YuLina TangHai-Bing ZhouZhi-Yong ZhangGuo-Jun ZhangPublished in: Analytical chemistry (2024)
Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is an important biomarker in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Sensitive and accurate detection of ERα protein expression is crucial in guiding selection of an appropriate therapeutic strategy to improve the effectiveness and prognosis of breast cancer treatment. Herein, we report a liquid-gated graphene field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor that enables rapid, sensitive, and label-free detection of the ERα protein by employing a novel drug molecule as a capture probe. The drug molecule was synthesized and subsequently immobilized onto the sensing surface of the fabricated graphene FET, which was able to distinguish the ERα-positive from the ERα-negative protein. The developed sensor not only demonstrated a low detection limit (LOD: 2.62 fM) but also achieved a fast response to ERα protein samples within 30 min. Moreover, depending on the relationship between the change of dirac point and the ERα protein concentrations, the dissociation constant ( K d ) was estimated to be 7.35 ± 0.06 pM, indicating that the drug probe-modified graphene FET had a good affinity with ERα protein. The nanosensor was able to analyze ERα proteins from 36 cell samples lysates. These results show that the graphene FET sensor was able to differentiate between ERα-positive and ERα-negative cells, indicating a promising biosensor for the ultrasensitive and rapid detection of ERα protein without antibody labeling.
Keyphrases
- estrogen receptor
- label free
- endoplasmic reticulum
- breast cancer cells
- loop mediated isothermal amplification
- protein protein
- amino acid
- quantum dots
- emergency department
- single cell
- room temperature
- binding protein
- stem cells
- risk assessment
- young adults
- oxidative stress
- high resolution
- induced apoptosis
- signaling pathway
- cell proliferation
- adverse drug
- bone marrow
- cell death
- living cells
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons