Label and Label-Free Aptasensors

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor and Bioelectronic Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 21111

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad, Palakkad 678623, Kerala, India
Interests: biosensors; electrochemical sensors; wearable sensors; aptamers; point-of-care diagnostics; electrochemistry
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Guest Editor
Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Interests: biosensors; electrochemical sensor; wearable sensors; bio-fuel cells; aptamer-based sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal 506004, India
Interests: electrochemical biosensors; biomarkers; wearable sensors; aptasensors; hybrid nanomaterials; fuel cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aptamers are effectively replacing traditional antibodies in biosensors by offering comparable sensitive recognitions, thus being declared 'chemical antibodies'. These small-sized oligonucleotides offer numerous properties, including quick chemical production, versatile chemical modifications, structural flexibility, high chemical and thermal stability, etc. These 'chemical antibodies' have been employed to create accurate and sensitive diagnostic tools for amplifying the signal in various techniques and formats viz. fluorometric, colorimetric, chromatographic, lateral flow assays, and electrochemical sensing. Depending on the mechanism of sensing, aptamer-based sensors are classified under label and label-free formats. The labels can either be radioactive, fluorescent-active, electro-active molecules, metallic complex, nanoparticles, enzyme, or antibodies with detectable probes, which assist in detecting target analytes from the real samples. In the case of label-free aptasensors, the aptamer is directly incorporated onto the transducer surface, which generates the analytical signal against its physiochemical interaction with the target analyte. Thus, the generated signal is measured in correlation to the analyte’s concentrations, whereas in the labeled apatsensing formats, the signals measured are usually generated from notable changes in the labelled/tagged moieties. Aptamer-based sensors have played an important role in various fields, such as environmental, agriculture, biomedical, forensic, and security applications with highly selective, sensitive, and accurate detection of target analytes. In addition, aptamers have also been used in theranostics approaches for diagnosing various pathophysiological complications. These aptamer-based theranostics offer immediate translational ex vivo/in vivo diagnostic/theranostic applications. 

All these advanced strategies using aptamer-based techniques/platforms fall under the scope of the journal Biosensors. Thus, this Special Volume entitled 'Label and Label-free Aptasensors' will have a great impact on a wide range of readers, from industry and academia. For this issue, we would like to invite manuscripts related to label and label-free aptamer-based sensors for various target analyte detections.

Dr. Yugender Goud Kotagiri
Dr. Kuldeep Mahato
Prof. Dr. K. V. Gobi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosensors
  • aptamers
  • labelled aptamers 
  • label-free aptamers
  • biomarkers
  • electrochemical sensors
  • optical sensors
  • colorimetric sensors
  • methylene-blue
  • quantum dots
  • aptamer antibody
  • aptamer enzyme
  • dual sandwich bio-recognition elements
  • aptamer-based theranostics
  • chemiluminescence sensors 

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1770 KiB  
Communication
Fabrication of a Novel and Ultrasensitive Label-Free Electrochemical Aptasensor Based on Gold Nanostructure for Detection of Homocysteine
by Reza Zaimbashi, Somayeh Tajik, Hadi Beitollahi and Masoud Torkzadeh-Mahani
Biosensors 2023, 13(2), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13020244 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1699
Abstract
The current attempt was made to detect the amino acid homocysteine (HMC) using an electrochemical aptasensor. A high-specificity HMC aptamer was used to fabricate an Au nanostructured/carbon paste electrode (Au-NS/CPE). HMC at high blood concentration (hyperhomocysteinemia) can be associated with endothelial cell damage [...] Read more.
The current attempt was made to detect the amino acid homocysteine (HMC) using an electrochemical aptasensor. A high-specificity HMC aptamer was used to fabricate an Au nanostructured/carbon paste electrode (Au-NS/CPE). HMC at high blood concentration (hyperhomocysteinemia) can be associated with endothelial cell damage leading to blood vessel inflammation, thereby possibly resulting in atherogenesis leading to ischemic damage. Our proposed protocol was to selectively immobilize the aptamer on the gate electrode with a high affinity to the HMC. The absence of a clear alteration in the current due to common interferants (methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys)) indicated the high specificity of the sensor. The aptasensor was successful in sensing HMC ranging between 0.1 and 30 μM, with a narrow limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.03 μM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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16 pages, 3621 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Amperometric Aptasensor Based on Diazonium Grafted Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode for Detection of CFP10 and MPT64 Biomarkers for Early Tuberculosis Diagnosis
by Muhammad Hafiznur Yunus, Nor Azah Yusof, Jaafar Abdullah, Yusran Sulaiman, Nurul Hanun Ahmad Raston and Siti Suraiya Md Noor
Biosensors 2022, 12(11), 996; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12110996 - 09 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2027
Abstract
Early diagnosis is highly crucial for life-saving and transmission management of tuberculosis (TB). Despite the low sensitivity and time-consuming issues, TB antigen detection still relies on conventional smear microscopy and culture techniques. To address this limitation, we report the development of the first [...] Read more.
Early diagnosis is highly crucial for life-saving and transmission management of tuberculosis (TB). Despite the low sensitivity and time-consuming issues, TB antigen detection still relies on conventional smear microscopy and culture techniques. To address this limitation, we report the development of the first amperometric dual aptasensor for the simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis secreted antigens CFP10 and MPT64 for better diagnosis and control of TB. The developed sensor was based on the aptamers–antibodies sandwich assay and detected by chronoamperometry through the electrocatalytic reaction between peroxidase-conjugated antibodies, H2O2, and hydroquinone. The CFP10 and MPT64 aptamers were immobilized via carbodiimide covalent chemistry over the disposable dual screen-printed carbon electrodes modified with a 4-carboxyphenyl diazonium salt. Under optimized conditions, the aptasensor achieved a detection limit of 1.68 ng mL−1 and 1.82 ng mL−1 for CFP10 and MPT64 antigens, respectively. The developed assay requires a small sample amount (5 µL) and can be easily performed within 2.5 h. Finally, the dual aptasensor was successfully applied to clinical sputum samples with the obtained diagnostic sensitivity (n = 24) and specificity (n = 13) of 100%, respectively, suggesting the readiness of the developed assay to be used for TB clinical application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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11 pages, 3071 KiB  
Article
Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Aptasensor for Detecting the VEGF165 Tumor Marker with PANI/CNT Nanocomposites
by Yunjeong Park, Min-Sung Hong, Woo-Hyuk Lee, Jung-Gu Kim and Kyunghoon Kim
Biosensors 2021, 11(4), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios11040114 - 09 Apr 2021
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 3665
Abstract
Sensing targeted tumor markers with high sensitivity provides vital information for the fast diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165) have recently emerged as a promising biomarker of tumor cells. The electrochemical aptasensor is a promising [...] Read more.
Sensing targeted tumor markers with high sensitivity provides vital information for the fast diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165) have recently emerged as a promising biomarker of tumor cells. The electrochemical aptasensor is a promising tool for detecting VEGF165 because of its advantages such as a low cost and quantitative analysis. To produce a sensitive and stable sensor electrode, nanocomposites based on polyaniline (PANI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) have potential, as they provide for easy fabrication, simple synthesis, have a large surface area, and are suitable in biological environments. Here, a label-free electrochemical aptasensor based on nanocomposites of CNT and PANI was prepared for detecting VEGF165 as a tumor marker. The nanocomposite was assembled with immobilized VEGF165 aptamer as a highly sensitive VEGF165 sensor. It exhibited stable and wide linear detection ranges from 0.5 pg/mL to 1 μg/mL, with a limit of detection of 0.4 pg/mL because of the complementary effect of PANI/CNT. The fabricated aptasensor also exhibited good stability in biological conditions, selectivity, and reproducibility after several measurement times after the dissociation process. Thus, it could be applied for the non-invasive determination of VEGF, in biological fluid diagnosis kits, or in an aptamer-based biosensor platform in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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Review

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31 pages, 2967 KiB  
Review
Trends in Paper-Based Sensing Devices for Clinical and Environmental Monitoring
by Shekher Kummari, Lakshmi R. Panicker, Jagadeeswara Rao Bommi, Sampath Karingula, Venisheety Sunil Kumar, Kuldeep Mahato and Kotagiri Yugender Goud
Biosensors 2023, 13(4), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13040420 - 25 Mar 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3042
Abstract
Environmental toxic pollutants and pathogens that enter the ecosystem are major global issues. Detection of these toxic chemicals/pollutants and the diagnosis of a disease is a first step in efficiently controlling their contamination and spread, respectively. Various analytical techniques are available to detect [...] Read more.
Environmental toxic pollutants and pathogens that enter the ecosystem are major global issues. Detection of these toxic chemicals/pollutants and the diagnosis of a disease is a first step in efficiently controlling their contamination and spread, respectively. Various analytical techniques are available to detect and determine toxic chemicals/pathogens, including liquid chromatography, HPLC, mass spectroscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. However, these sensing strategies have some drawbacks such as tedious sample pretreatment and preparation, the requirement for skilled technicians, and dependence on large laboratory-based instruments. Alternatively, biosensors, especially paper-based sensors, could be used extensively and are a cost-effective alternative to conventional laboratory testing. They can improve accessibility to testing to identify chemicals and pollutants, especially in developing countries. Due to its low cost, abundance, easy disposal (by incineration, for example) and biocompatible nature, paper is considered a versatile material for the development of environmentally friendly electrochemical/optical (bio) sensor devices. This review presents an overview of sensing platforms constructed from paper, pointing out the main merits and demerits of paper-based sensing systems, their fabrication techniques, and the different optical/electrochemical detection techniques that they exploit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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23 pages, 4575 KiB  
Review
Role of Estradiol Hormone in Human Life and Electrochemical Aptasensing of 17β-Estradiol: A Review
by P. P. Waifalkar, Daegwon Noh, Poorva Derashri, Sagar Barage and Eunsoon Oh
Biosensors 2022, 12(12), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12121117 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3684
Abstract
Estradiol is known as one of the most potent estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that may cause various health implications on human growth, metabolism regulation, the reproduction system, and possibly cancers. The detection of these EDCs in our surroundings, such as in foods and [...] Read more.
Estradiol is known as one of the most potent estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that may cause various health implications on human growth, metabolism regulation, the reproduction system, and possibly cancers. The detection of these EDCs in our surroundings, such as in foods and beverages, is important to prevent such harmful effects on humans. Aptamers are a promising class of bio-receptors for estradiol detection due to their chemical stability and high affinity. With the development of aptamer technology, electrochemical aptasensing became an important tool for estradiol detection. This review provides detailed information on various technological interventions in electrochemical estradiol detection in solutions and categorized the aptasensing mechanisms, aptamer immobilization strategies, and electrode materials. Moreover, we also discussed the role of estradiol in human physiology and signaling mechanisms. The level of estradiol in circulation is associated with normal and diseased conditions. The aptamer-based electrochemical sensing techniques are powerful and sensitive for estradiol detection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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23 pages, 6226 KiB  
Review
Ultrasensitive Aptasensors for the Detection of Viruses Based on Opto-Electrochemical Readout Systems
by Divya, Daphika S Dkhar, Rohini Kumari, Supratim Mahapatra, Rahul Kumar and Pranjal Chandra
Biosensors 2022, 12(2), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12020081 - 29 Jan 2022
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5276
Abstract
Viral infections are becoming the foremost driver of morbidity, mortality and economic loss all around the world. Treatment for diseases associated to some deadly viruses are challenging tasks, due to lack of infrastructure, finance and availability of rapid, accurate and easy-to-use detection methods [...] Read more.
Viral infections are becoming the foremost driver of morbidity, mortality and economic loss all around the world. Treatment for diseases associated to some deadly viruses are challenging tasks, due to lack of infrastructure, finance and availability of rapid, accurate and easy-to-use detection methods or devices. The emergence of biosensors has proven to be a success in the field of diagnosis to overcome the challenges associated with traditional methods. Furthermore, the incorporation of aptamers as bio-recognition elements in the design of biosensors has paved a way towards rapid, cost-effective, and specific detection devices which are insensitive to changes in the environment. In the last decade, aptamers have emerged to be suitable and efficient biorecognition elements for the detection of different kinds of analytes, such as metal ions, small and macro molecules, and even cells. The signal generation in the detection process depends on different parameters; one such parameter is whether the labelled molecule is incorporated or not for monitoring the sensing process. Based on the labelling, biosensors are classified as label or label-free; both have their significant advantages and disadvantages. Here, we have primarily reviewed the advantages for using aptamers in the transduction system of sensing devices. Furthermore, the labelled and label-free opto-electrochemical aptasensors for the detection of various kinds of viruses have been discussed. Moreover, numerous globally developed aptasensors for the sensing of different types of viruses have been illustrated and explained in tabulated form. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Label and Label-Free Aptasensors)
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