A wireless electrochemical Aptamer-Based biosensor platform utilizing printed circuit board electrodes for drug monitoring applications

• Published in: Microchemical journal Vol. 204; p. 111038
• Main Authors: Liu, Yu, George, Ankitha, Shojaee, Maryam, Wu, Peiyao, Ashraf, Adnan, Wickramaratne, Dinelka, Napoli, Francesca, Patel, Neel, Liang, Shaolin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Drug monitoring; Electrochemical aptamer-based sensors; Printed Circuit Board; Tobramycin; Drug monitoring; Tobramycin; Printed Circuit Board; Electrochemical aptamer-based sensors
• ISSN: 0026-265X; 1095-9149
• DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2024.111038

[Display omitted] •An E-AB sensor platform with PCB electrodes was developed for PoC drug monitoring applications.•PCB electrodes were custom-designed and optimized using rapid prototyping technology.•The PCB E-AB sensors for Tobramycin monitoring demonstrated high sensitivity with an LOD of 125 µM.•The sensor’s performance was successfully validated at various temperatures and storage conditions. Electrochemical aptamer-based biosensors (E-AB) hold great potential for a wide range of applications, especially in drug monitoring. Despite numerous promising research findings emerging from laboratory settings, translating them into commercial products still faces significant challenges due to the cumbersome preprocessing of traditional electrodes, limited robustness in real-world settings, and the high cost associated with the scalability. In this context, we developed a robust and low-cost E-AB biosensor employing printed circuit board (PCB) electrodes integrated with a compact and wireless electrochemical reader device to detect Tobramycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic. We leveraged the rapid prototyping capabilities of PCB technology to iteratively refine the electrode design which exhibits maximum efficiency. The developed sensor detects the target drug through the change in electron transfer kinetics resulting from the binding-induced conformational transformations of aptamers labeled with methylene blue. A comprehensive performance evaluation of the sensing platform was conducted under controlled buffer conditions. The sensor demonstrates a linear range spanning from 750 µM to 10 mM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 125 µM. Furthermore, the sensor’s performance was successfully validated in interfering matrix, and at various temperature and storage conditions, affirming its commercial feasibility.