Recent Developments in DNA-Nanotechnology-Powered Biosensors for Zika/Dengue Virus Molecular Diagnostics

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) are highly contagious and lethal mosquito-borne viruses. Global warming is steadily increasing the probability of ZIKV and DENV infection, and accurate diagnosis is required to control viral infections worldwide. Recently, research on biosensors for the accurate diagnosis of ZIKV and DENV has been actively conducted. Moreover, biosensor research using DNA nanotechnology is also increasing, and has many advantages compared to the existing diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As a bioreceptor, DNA can easily introduce a functional group at the 5′ or 3′ end, and can also be used as a folded structure, such as a DNA aptamer and DNAzyme. Instead of using ZIKV and DENV antibodies, a bioreceptor that specifically binds to viral proteins or nucleic acids has been fabricated and introduced using DNA nanotechnology. Technologies for detecting ZIKV and DENV can be broadly divided into electrochemical, electrical, and optical. In this review, advances in DNA-nanotechnology-based ZIKV and DENV detection biosensors are discussed.

Structural DNA nanotechnology at the nexus of next-generation bio-applications: challenges and perspectives

“… 46 The development of biosensors employing DNA nanotechnology is growing, and this technology has numerous advantages over the currently used diagnostic techniques. 47 The use of DNA nanostructure in biosensing is one of the significant applications. In addition to nucleotide sequences, ion concentrations, pH, and peptides, DNA sequences can react with various outside stimuli.…”

“…The eld has seen applications to solve fundamental scientic problems in structural biology, biophysics and medicinal biology. 4 These applications include tissue engineering, 4,[31][32][33][34] immune engineering, 35,36 drug delivery, [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] disease diagnosis 4,46,47 and molecular biology tools or biosensors. 45,47,48 DNA structures have unique properties compared to other biopolymeric materials and nano-nanomaterials.…”

“…4 These applications include tissue engineering, 4,[31][32][33][34] immune engineering, 35,36 drug delivery, [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] disease diagnosis 4,46,47 and molecular biology tools or biosensors. 45,47,48 DNA structures have unique properties compared to other biopolymeric materials and nano-nanomaterials. The structure of DNA-based nanomaterials allows for exibility as every strand can be concatenated or linked with an extended arm.…”

Biosensing Systems Based on Graphene Oxide Fluorescence Quenching Effect

“…They both belong to the genus Flavivirus and their diffusion is expanding, due to the globalization of transport and global warming, which are widening the spread and habitat of Aedes mosquitoes [ 62 ], responsible for the transmission of these viruses. Modern trends aim at the simultaneous diagnosis of the two viruses [ 63 ], because a rapid diagnosis of ZIKV and DENV viruses serotype in the acute phase would prevent global transmission of the viruses and allow for efficient treatment of the patients, particularly because of complications due to the possible effects of cross-reactive flavivirus antibodies [ 64 ]. In this context, Lee et al proposed a new molecular diagnostic strategy for multiplexed sensing of flaviviruses using biosensors based on the combination of peptide nucleic acid (PNA), a non-degradable DNA mimic, and GO, possibly combined with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) [ 65 ].…”

Zika Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Epidemiological Parameters and Advances in Understanding the Infection

“…Conventional methods available to diagnose ZIKV infection include neuroimaging diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), as well as viral isolation [18]. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the application of the molecular diagnosis for ZIKV using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), serological tests such as ZIKV MAC-ELISA, and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) [19]. However, there are limitations associated with the molecular methods mentioned, related to the requirement for a proper laboratory setup, expert technicians, and the high cost of reagents and equipment [18].…”