Janus Graphene supported Single atom catalysts for ultrasensitive cytokine point of care sensors

Cytokines, such as TNF-α, hold immense significance as protein biomarkers, pivotal for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic management across various clinical disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, sepsis, and cancer.

Nonetheless, prevailing techniques like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) prove to be expensive, time-intensive, and reliant on specialized personnel, intricate instrumentation, and infrastructure.

Furthermore, the performance of present biosensing techniques necessitates refinements in terms of real-time outcomes, sensitivity, affordability, and user-friendliness.

Within this context, the RESPONSE project sets out to forge an innovative approach, intertwining Janus graphene derivatives (JGDs) and Single Atom Catalysts (SACs), or atozymes, for Point-Of-Care (POC) biosensors for cytokine detection.

This undertaking involves the strategic utilization of selectively and densely functionalized JGDs, serving dual roles: i) as signal transducer immobilized on a paper lateral flow electrochemical sensor (LFES), and carrying the cytokine bioreceptor (primary/capture antibody; Ab1) and ii) as signal amplifier JGDs, housing the SACs and the secondary/signal antibody (Ab2), which binds to a different epitope of cytokine.

The binding between TNF-α and JGDs-Ab1 initiates the sandwich formation with SAC-JGDs-Ab2 complex at the test region.

Here, the SACs catalyze the oxidation of an appropriate reporter molecule, liberating electrons and thereby significantly amplifying the signal output which can be quantified through an integrated electrode system. REPSONSE offers affordability, point of care readiness and commercialization potential.

Importantly, RESPONSE’s strategy defines the blueprint for transitioning from the current, symptom-focused and late-stage diagnosis to the next-generation prognostic biomarker-guided preventative or therapeutic treatment management, and improve life-quality of millions of people worldwide.