Not Just Gold: Engineering Nucleic Acid Probes onto Peptide Hydrogel Biointerface for Electrochemical Detection of miRNA
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Surface engineering critically influences the analytical performance, manufacturability, and translational potential of electrochemical nucleic acid biosensors. Here, we introduce a peptide hydrogel (HG)-based surface engineering strategy that replaces conventional Au−thiol functionalization with a single supramolecular biointerface for disposable electrochemical biosensors. An HG based on Fmoc-FF/Fmoc-FFKK-Amide (1:2, v/v) enabled the direct immobilization of DNA probes onto disposable screen-printed electrodes, integrating electrode functionalization and probe immobilization within a single material and eliminating the multistep workflow associated with conventional immobilization strategies. The resulting platform required approximately 45 min for fabrication while reducing the consumption of costly surface-functionalization reagents, yielding disposable sensors with an estimated fabrication cost of approximately €0.60 per device. Following target hybridization, electrochemical measurements could be performed directly without additional surface-processing or labeling steps. As a proof of concept, the biosensor enabled amplification-free detection of miRNA-107 over the 0.1−1000 nM concentration range, achieving detection limits of 0.3 nM in PBS and 0.6 nM in undiluted human serum with a relative standard deviation below 4%. More broadly, this work establishes supramolecular peptide HG beyond passive scaffolds, positioning them as functional biointerfaces for the next generation of portable, cost-effective, and user-friendly electrochemical nucleic acid biosensors.
Source: ACS Measurement Science Au
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
OpenAlex ID: W7225782071