An Electroanalytical Flexible Biosensor Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide-DNA Hybrids for the Early Detection of Human Papillomavirus-16

Abstract

Human Papilloma Virus 16 (HPV 16) is the well-known causative species responsible for triggering cervical cancer. When left undiagnosed and untreated, this disease leads to life-threatening events among the female populace, especially in developing nations where healthcare resources are already being stretched to their limits. Considering various drawbacks of conventional techniques for diagnosing this highly malignant cancer, it becomes imperative to develop miniaturized biosensing platforms which can aid in early detection of cervical cancer for enhanced patient outcomes. The current study reports on the development of an electrochemical biosensor based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/DNA hybrid modified flexible carbon screen-printed electrode (CSPE) for the detection of HPV 16. The carbon-coated SPEs were initially coated with rGO followed by probe DNA (PDNA) immobilization. The nanostructure characterization was performed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to study the electrochemical characterization of the nano-biohybrid sensor surface. The optimization studies and analytical performance were assessed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), eventually exhibiting a limit of detection (LoD) ~2 pM. The developed sensor was found to be selective solely to HPV 16 target DNA and exhibited a shelf life of 1 month. The performance of the developed flexible sensor further exhibited a promising response in spiked serum samples, which validates its application in future point-of-care scenarios.

Point-of-care tests for human papillomavirus detection in uterine cervical samples: A review of advances in resource-constrained settings

“…Paper-based devices: A ‘multiplex autonomous disposable NAAT (MAD-NAAT)’ has been developed as a POC paper-based instrument-free network device that can provide qualitative results ( Table II 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 ). The prototype has been evaluated for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in nasal swab specimens 43 .…”

“…An electroanalytical biosensor utilizing the graphene oxide-DNA hybrid method was devised by Rawat et al 49 . This technology needs to be further refined and developed as a portable device for POC HPV DNA-based cervical cancer screening.…”