Implantable Fluorogenic DNA Biosensor for Stress Detection

Irina Drachuk; Namrata Ramani; Svetlana Harbaugh; Chad A. Mirkin; Jorge L. Chávez

doi:10.1021/acsami.4c08940

Implantable Fluorogenic DNA Biosensor for Stress Detection

Irina Drachuk^*, Namrata Ramani, Svetlana Harbaugh, Chad A. Mirkin, Jorge L. Chávez

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Implantable sensors that can monitor analytes related to cognitive and physiological status have gained significant focus in recent years. We have developed an implantable biosensor to detect dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a biomarker related to stress. The biosensor strategy was based on the principle of forced intercalation (FIT) aptamers designed to detect subtle intramolecular changes during aptamer-target binding events. By incorporating a steroid-specific fluorogenic aptamer into a hydrogel, the sensitivity and biostability of the FIT biosensor fiber were improved, which were essential for designing implantable sensors to monitor biomarker levels in the living body. The polyethylenimine-based hydrogel chosen for this study produced an optically transparent cross-linked network with optimal microstructure, physicochemical, and mechanical properties, making it suitable for optical biosensors. The in vitro studies showed that the biosensor fiber was successfully activated in human serum and skin analogue, providing a linear response to physiological concentrations of the steroid. We believe that this type of implantable platform can be effective in monitoring more complex biomarkers associated with physiological or psychological health.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	130-139
Number of pages	10
Journal	ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume	17
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c08940
State	Published - Jan 8 2025

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Materiel Command Office/711th Human Performance Wing contract FA8650-19-D-6109, the Army Research Office grant W911NF-23-1-0141, the National Science Foundation grant DBI-2032180, and the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, Inc. The research reported in this publication has been cleared for public release under reference number AFRL-2024-2209 on 22 April 2024. The authors are grateful to Dr. S. Ebrahimi and Dr. D. Samanta (Northwestern University, Evansville, IL) for discussions and development of the FIT aptamer, J. Paik (Michigan University, Ann Arbor, MI) for the help with rheological measurements, and V. Williams (UES, a BlueHalo Company, Dayton, OH) for making the DHEA-S calibrations using the ELISA kit.

Keywords

FIT biosensor
fluorogenic aptamer
forced-intercalation
hydrogel
stress monitoring

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Materials Science

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abstract = "Implantable sensors that can monitor analytes related to cognitive and physiological status have gained significant focus in recent years. We have developed an implantable biosensor to detect dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a biomarker related to stress. The biosensor strategy was based on the principle of forced intercalation (FIT) aptamers designed to detect subtle intramolecular changes during aptamer-target binding events. By incorporating a steroid-specific fluorogenic aptamer into a hydrogel, the sensitivity and biostability of the FIT biosensor fiber were improved, which were essential for designing implantable sensors to monitor biomarker levels in the living body. The polyethylenimine-based hydrogel chosen for this study produced an optically transparent cross-linked network with optimal microstructure, physicochemical, and mechanical properties, making it suitable for optical biosensors. The in vitro studies showed that the biosensor fiber was successfully activated in human serum and skin analogue, providing a linear response to physiological concentrations of the steroid. We believe that this type of implantable platform can be effective in monitoring more complex biomarkers associated with physiological or psychological health.",

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N2 - Implantable sensors that can monitor analytes related to cognitive and physiological status have gained significant focus in recent years. We have developed an implantable biosensor to detect dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a biomarker related to stress. The biosensor strategy was based on the principle of forced intercalation (FIT) aptamers designed to detect subtle intramolecular changes during aptamer-target binding events. By incorporating a steroid-specific fluorogenic aptamer into a hydrogel, the sensitivity and biostability of the FIT biosensor fiber were improved, which were essential for designing implantable sensors to monitor biomarker levels in the living body. The polyethylenimine-based hydrogel chosen for this study produced an optically transparent cross-linked network with optimal microstructure, physicochemical, and mechanical properties, making it suitable for optical biosensors. The in vitro studies showed that the biosensor fiber was successfully activated in human serum and skin analogue, providing a linear response to physiological concentrations of the steroid. We believe that this type of implantable platform can be effective in monitoring more complex biomarkers associated with physiological or psychological health.

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Implantable Fluorogenic DNA Biosensor for Stress Detection

Abstract

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