New paper in Biosensors and Bioelectronics

Sensing principle of the pSi immunosensor for the label-free detection of MS2 bacteriophage and the corresponding DPV traces (a) prior and (b) after bacteriophage interaction

Neka and colleagues have recently published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics their work on the development of a porous silicon (pSi) membrane-based electrochemical biosensor for the label-free detection of bacteriophage MS2.

A proof of concept for the label-free detection of bacteriophage MS2, a model indicator of microbiological contamination, is validated in this work as a porous silicon (pSi) membrane-based electrochemical biosensor. PSi membranes were used to afford nanochannel architectures. The sensing mechanism was based on the nanochannel blockage caused by MS2 binding to immobilized capture antibodies. This blockage was quantified by measuring the oxidation current of the electroactive species reaching the electrode surface, by means of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The immunosensor showed a limit of detection of 6 pfu/mL in buffer, allowing the detection of MS2 to levels commonly found in real-world applications, and proved to be unaffected by matrix effects when analyzing MS2 in reservoir water. This platform enables the straightforward, direct and sensitive detection of a broad range of target analytes and constitutes a promising approach towards the development of portable electronic point of sample analysis devices.

You can find out more in: Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 80 (2016) 47-53